“As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.” – Matthew 9:9-10
I invite you to take a moment right now and place yourself in that room, seated at the table.
Notice the movement around you, the clattering of plates, and the shuffling of people bringing food to the table. You hear a mumbling of voices carrying over the room, normal chatter that takes place during a meal.
In the midst of all that surrounds you, you notice Jesus. He’s seated across from you. At first, He looks just like any other guest. I mean, you’ve heard the stories. Many have shared about him, you wonder, “Could all that really be true?” You feel drawn in.
Realizing you are staring, a part of you starts to hesitate. Just then, Jesus looks at you. He can’t take his eyes off you. This is not a look of judgment. This is a look of pure love and perfect delight. This is the same love that called Matthew. This is a love that doesn’t hesitate or wait at a distance for you to change. This is a love that desires to enter into your heart, your life, your reality exactly as you are right now.
Jesus still looking intently into your eyes, calls you by name. I invite you right now. Hear him in your heart call your name.
He says, “Follow me.”
This voice is close enough here to speak with you, to hear you, to be totally personal and uninterrupted.
“Me? Do You even know who I am? What I’ve done?”
“Follow me.”
Jesus isn’t calling you to observe from a distance. He isn’t waiting for you to be ready or perfect. He doesn’t just want you to know about him. Jesus wants you to know Him.
Jesus isn’t just calling you to serve Him – He is calling you to be His friend.
“I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends.” – John 15:15
Jesus wants you to have an encounter with the healing love of his Most Sacred Heart.
Are you ready to sit at the table with Jesus – the King of kings – and be His friend?