{"id":16310,"date":"2026-04-18T06:51:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T11:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/somoscristianos.org\/?p=16310"},"modified":"2026-04-18T06:55:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T11:55:39","slug":"the-story-of-matthew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/somoscristianos.org\/en\/the-story-of-matthew\/","title":{"rendered":"The Story of Matthew."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sun beat down on the dusty streets of Capernaum. The noise was constant\u2014vendors calling out, footsteps moving quickly, arguments over prices. But there was one place where the atmosphere felt different\u2026 heavier\u2026 uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s where Matthew was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sitting behind a wooden table, stacks of coins in front of him, recording numbers with cold precision. His expression wasn\u2019t harsh\u2026 just distant. He had learned to disconnect. Not because he didn\u2019t feel\u2014but because feeling too much\u2026 hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few steps away, standing like a statue, was a Roman soldier. His armor reflected the sunlight, his hand resting near his sword. He wasn\u2019t there by accident. He was there to watch\u2026 to enforce authority\u2026 to remind everyone who was in control. No one came too close. No one caused trouble. Matthew was protected\u2026 but also watched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthew was not just any man. He was a tax collector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his time, that didn\u2019t just mean collecting money. It meant working for the Roman Empire\u2014the same empire that oppressed his own people. To many, Matthew wasn\u2019t just unfair\u2026 he was a traitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People avoided him. They didn\u2019t invite him into their homes. They didn\u2019t greet him. To them, Matthew had crossed a line that had no return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But very few knew what was happening inside of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every coin that hit his table felt heavier than its value. As if each sound reminded him how far he was from his people\u2026 and from God. He had chosen a comfortable life, yes\u2026 but the cost had been high: respect, identity\u2026 and maybe peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over time, as people passed by, Matthew began to hear stories. At first, he didn\u2019t pay much attention\u2026 but one name kept coming up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They said He taught with authority. That He spoke about God as if He truly knew Him. That He healed the sick\u2026 that He touched the people no one else wanted to touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One day, while counting coins, Matthew overheard two men talking near his table. One of them mentioned a teaching this Jesus had shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two men were praying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One, a Pharisee, stood confidently, thanking God that he was not like other people\u2026 not even like tax collectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The other\u2026 couldn\u2019t even lift his eyes. He just beat his chest and said, \u201cGod, have mercy on me, a sinner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthew said nothing. He kept counting\u2026 but he wasn\u2019t hearing the coins anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because something inside him shifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He knew exactly who he was in that story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not the righteous one\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The other one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The one who didn\u2019t even feel worthy to come near God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From that day on, something changed inside him. Not on the outside. Everything looked the same. The table, the money, the soldier\u2026 the routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But inside\u2026 it was no longer easy to ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That day seemed like any other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Until someone stopped in front of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Roman soldier tensed immediately. He stepped forward slightly, ready to block any approach that seemed out of place. His eyes locked onto the man coming closer, evaluating, prepared to act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But this man wasn\u2019t in a hurry\u2026 and he wasn\u2019t afraid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was something in the way He walked\u2026 in His presence\u2026 that didn\u2019t feel ordinary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthew looked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And in that moment\u2026 he knew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not just from what he had heard\u2026 but from something deeper. As if everything he had heard suddenly became real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And along with that recognition came another feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Disbelief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat is He doing here\u2026 in front of me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because if this man truly was who people said He was\u2026 then Matthew was exactly the kind of person He should avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Jesus didn\u2019t keep His distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He came closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And in that look\u2026 there was no rejection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was something Matthew hadn\u2019t felt in a long time: dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The soldier hesitated. For a moment, it seemed like he would step in\u2026 but he didn\u2019t. Something held him back. Maybe he didn\u2019t understand it\u2014but he couldn\u2019t interrupt it either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The world kept moving\u2026 but for Matthew, everything went silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then Jesus said something no one expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFollow Me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No sermon. No conditions. No list of failures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just one word\u2026 that opened a completely new door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthew froze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because it didn\u2019t make sense\u2026 not humanly speaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were men more prepared, more respected, more religious. Men who actually deserved to be near a teacher like Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Jesus wasn\u2019t looking for \u201cdeserving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was looking for willing hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In that moment, Matthew understood something that pierced his soul: Jesus knew him\u2026 and still called him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And right there, in front of everyone\u2026 with the Roman soldier just a few steps away, with the money on the table, with everything that tied him to his past\u2026 he made a decision that would change his life forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He stood up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He left the table. He left the money. He left the security he had built. He didn\u2019t look at the soldier. He didn\u2019t ask permission. He didn\u2019t feel fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And he followed Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No guarantees. No full understanding. But with a certainty deep inside that he could not ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the first time in a long time\u2026 Matthew felt free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later, he did something that surprised many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He prepared a banquet in his home\u2026 and he didn\u2019t invite the \u201crighteous\u201d or the respected. He invited others like him: tax collectors, sinners, rejected people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And Jesus came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He sat with them. Ate with them. Spent time with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That shocked the religious leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow can He eat with sinners?\u201d they whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Jesus answered with a phrase that still challenges and heals at the same time:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cIt is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.\u201d<\/strong><br>(<strong>Matthew 9:12<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That day, Matthew understood something powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He wasn\u2019t called because he was perfect\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was called because he needed to be transformed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And this is the most incredible part:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That rejected man\u2026 that tax collector\u2026 the one many thought was beyond hope\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Became one of the twelve disciples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And not only that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He became the author of what we now know as the <strong>Gospel of Matthew<\/strong>, where he recorded the life, teachings, and love of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same man who once sat collecting money\u2026 ended up writing words that would change millions of lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe today you don\u2019t feel like someone worthy of being called.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe you feel like you\u2019ve made too many mistakes\u2026 gone too far\u2026 or that you don\u2019t have much left to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Matthew\u2019s story reminds us of something powerful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jesus doesn\u2019t call the perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He calls the willing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He doesn\u2019t focus on who you were\u2026 He sees who you can become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And sometimes, everything begins with a simple\u2026 but life-changing word:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFollow Me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a  href=\"https:\/\/somoscristianos.org\/en\/\"   title=\"Home\"   >Somos Cristianos<\/a>, connecting hearts with Christ.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Matthew was the kind of person no one expected Jesus to call. Rejected, judged\u2026 and yet chosen. This story isn\u2019t just about him\u2014it\u2019s about all of us. Because sometimes we feel unworthy\u2026 but Jesus still says the same thing: \u201cFollow Me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":16308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2820,2842,2837],"tags":[2979,3728,3656,3632,3001,2832,3111,2826,3493,3206,3468,3795,2992,3771,3466,2976,3835,4252,2834,3836],"series":[3039],"class_list":["post-16310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-christian-growth","category-featured_en","category-stories-that-teach","tag-bible","tag-bible-stories","tag-bible-story","tag-christian-content","tag-christian-life","tag-christian-reflection","tag-faith","tag-faith-journey","tag-follow-jesus","tag-forgiveness","tag-god","tag-god-is-love","tag-gospel","tag-grace","tag-hope","tag-jesus","tag-life-change","tag-matthew-2","tag-somos-cristianos","tag-transformation","series-somos-cristianos-reflexiones-diarias"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/somoscristianos.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/La-historia-de-Mateo.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/somoscristianos.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/logo-sc_red_original160px.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"https:\/\/podcasters.amazon.com\/podcasts\/6e73db97-3f04-408e-9d35-fd4e33aab386","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcastsconnect.apple.com\/my-podcasts\/show\/somos-cristianos-%E2%80%93-reflexiones-diarias-de-fe-y-vida\/974e0a64-92cf-4487-a0f4-ab30643d6813\/episodes","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"deezer":{"key":"deezer","url":"https:\/\/www.deezer.com\/us\/show\/1002657781","label":"Deezer","class":"deezer","icon":"deezer.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@SomosCristianos77\/podcasts","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"pandora":{"key":"pandora","url":"https:\/\/www.pandora.com\/podcast\/somos-cristianos-reflexiones-diarias-de-fe-y-vida\/PC:1001113906","label":"Pandora","class":"pandora","icon":"pandora.png"},"pocketcasts":{"key":"pocketcasts","url":"","label":"PocketCasts","class":"pocketcasts","icon":"pocketcasts.png"},"podcast_addict":{"key":"podcast_addict","url":"","label":"Podcast Addict","class":"podcast_addict","icon":"podcast-addict.png"},"podcast_de":{"key":"podcast_de","url":"","label":"Podcast.de","class":"podcast_de","icon":"podcast-de.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2giZxrAdrZZwxeClZoNFoV","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/show\/1113906","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"tunein":{"key":"tunein","url":"","label":"TuneIn","class":"tunein","icon":"tunein.png"},"yandex":{"key":"yandex","url":"","label":"Yandex","class":"yandex","icon":"yandex.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@SomosCristianos77\/podcasts","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"},"iheartradio":{"key":"iheartradio","url":"","label":"iHeartRadio","class":"iheartradio","icon":"iheartradio.png"},"ivoox":{"key":"ivoox","url":"https:\/\/www.ivoox.com\/podcast-somoscristianos-org_sq_f13111753_1.html","label":"iVoox","class":"ivoox","icon":"ivoox.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/somoscristianos.org\/en\/feed\/podcast\/somos-cristianos-reflexiones-diarias","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"otn2Ta9XqN\"><a href=\"https:\/\/somoscristianos.org\/en\/the-story-of-matthew\/\">The Story of Matthew.<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/somoscristianos.org\/en\/the-story-of-matthew\/embed\/#?secret=otn2Ta9XqN\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;The Story of Matthew.&#8221; &#8212; SomosCristianos.org\" data-secret=\"otn2Ta9XqN\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! 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