Matthew finally steps out of the shadows in this episode, and it’s about time. After watching everyone else get their moment with Jesus, the spotlight swings his way—and the tension is building. This is his invitation. His turn. His moment to choose.
And what makes it so compelling is that Matthew hasn’t been a passive bystander. He’s been quietly collecting data like the world’s most anxious accountant. He saw Simon’s empty nets explode with fish. He watched a paralyzed man stand up and walk home. Every miracle has chipped away at his skepticism, leaving him with a pile of questions he can’t file neatly into any category. So where does he go? Home. To the one person who has always tried to understand him—his mother.
The scene is heartbreaking and hopeful all at once. He knocks on the door of a house where he’s no longer welcome, hoping for clarity. His father isn’t there, which is a mercy, and Matthew spills out his confusion. He can’t make sense of what he’s seen. Logic fails him. Numbers fail him. And yet something in him is waking up. Scripture doesn’t record this conversation, or even that Matthew witnessed these miracles firsthand, but it’s not hard to imagine that something had been stirring long before Jesus said, “Follow me.”
But Matthew isn’t the only one receiving an invitation.
Nicodemus gets his own private audience with Jesus—arranged by Mary, no less. The teacher of teachers meets the Teacher, and the conversation is legendary. Jesus introduces the idea of being born again, of becoming something entirely new. Nicodemus wrestles with it, turning it over in his mind like a puzzle piece that doesn’t seem to fit. And out of that late‑night conversation comes the verse that has echoed throughout centuries: John 3:16. A single verse that captures the heartbeat of the Christian faith.
Then Jesus extends the same invitation He will later give Matthew: “Follow me.”
It is not recorded like this in scriptures, but either way the unfortunate truth is that Nicodemus doesn’t become a disciple and doesn’t follow Jesus like Matthew. Have you accepted Jesus’ invitation like Matthew or are you still skeptical like Nicodemus? Following Jesus is a choice and a gift from God. I urge you to make your decision to follow him!
Which brings us back to Matthew.
At the end of the episode Matthew locks eyes with Jesus and he asks that question we have been waiting for – He asks Matthew to follow him. Matthew does not hesitate like Nicodemus, he drops everything, gets out of that tax booth and follows him. Matthew doesn’t hesitate. No bargaining. No calculating. No weighing the pros and cons. He simply gets up, leaves the tax booth, and follows. Just like that. (Matthew 9:9) The man who built his life on numbers and certainty steps into a future he can’t predict, because he finally knows the One worth trusting. It was such a touching moment and one where you know Matthew made the life-changing, no regrets, awesome choice that will forever change his life.
If this episode stirred something in you, don’t stop here. Dive deeper. Explore the scriptures behind the scenes. Sit with the questions, the invitations, the moments of hesitation and courage. The attached Bible study will help you do just that.
Jesus is worth following. His invitation still stands. Step toward Him, open the Word, and see what He reveals.
Biblical Rewind 
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