God's Scribe

Jesus chose His disciples. When a certain scribe came to Him, saying he would follow Jesus wherever He went, Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head" (Matthew 8:20).

Who is a scribe? A scribe was a member of a learned class in ancient Israel, through New Testament times, who studied the Scriptures and served as copyists, editors, teachers, and jurists. That scribe who talked with Jesus didn’t follow Jesus afterward. In contrast, Matthew 9:9-12 talks about Jesus calling Matthew, the tax collector, to follow Him. Verse 9 says, “So he arose and followed Him.” God chose His own scribe; He saw a biographer, a writer of the Gospel, in Matthew.

"You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,

And called from its farthest regions,

And said to you,

‘You are My servant,

I have chosen you and have not cast you away,’ says Isaiah 41."

Hey, friend, how great it is to be chosen by Jesus Himself to follow Him. It is beyond our understanding that we are His choice. We don’t know what lies ahead, but the One who calls us fulfills His calling in us. Romans 11:29 says, “For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.]” When Jesus calls us to serve Him, it’s not because of what we have in us. It is always to transform us to achieve the unimaginable through us. Yes, He is able to do above all we can ask or think.

Can you hear His voice? Can you hear the gentle calling of the loving Shepherd? Can we follow Him like Matthew?

Dear God, how blessed are we to be chosen by You. How great it is to carry Your words as Your vessel. Thank You for Your calling, God, thank You for Your grace. Thank You for this privilege. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.