MEET JESUS’ CREW : MATTHEW WAS AN “ALAGBARA”

Matthew was a local champion with a lot of repute (mostly ill); he was what you would call a typical “Alagbara” in Lagos... An “Alagbara” is like a head of touts or an overseer appointed by the government to amass revenue through taxation in certain areas. He was in charge of taxation in Capernaum and must have had many boys under him like the present day “Alagbara”.

This guy was abhorred by traders and commuters alike, due to high and cutthroat taxation; think about the kind of comments that trailed him when his hummer (wagon) pulled by... “Inconsiderate fool”, “thief”, “devil incarnate”...you know the rest...

Matthew and his boys were full of trick & frauds for extorting money from folks that hawk with trays, push good carts, bus & taxi drivers, roadside traders, stall owners, herders, public dirt removers, & even pedestrians... this crew could even tax students & children! It was that bad.

The public could not do anything about it because, Matthew was appointed by the Roman Government and had their full backing even when it was obvious that he was exceeding his thread limit... even when the government knew he was not making full returns of the revenue that was coming in... So, on both ends (the public & his employees) he was not trusted... matter of fact Matthew was despised!

Life must have been miserable amidst all the “owambe” (typical Yoruba parties) that he organised... inviting roman officials to come enjoy good wine and lush meals facilitated by what Nigerians would call “blood money”... you ask how? How do you explain the fact that a man that has so much wealth would abandon all of his “hard earned money” to follow a “common teacher” who simply said “follow me”?

Yep, he was making money, rubbing shoulders with crème of the society (Romans) even though with a crass background, had a lot of boys, had max protection (thugs were at his beck & call), & could access the temple because he was from the tribe of Levi... Yet when he slept at night, the ceiling was as far as the skies, the bed gnawed at him, the sheets were too cold even with the warmth of his wife, and sleep just kept playing hide & seek... every night was - “Aaaaaaaah, SOS!”

The “God sized space” in his heart kept growing... no amount of taxation and connection could fill that... Nope! So, when Jesus called... He knew it was time to flip the pages because the present ones were too boring – you could call them a “white-wall-stare”...

When the Holy Spirit told Jesus “that’s the next one”... Jesus must have wondered “H.S are you sure about this dude? Everyone hates him!” & the Holy Spirit must have replied “See” & showed Jesus the potentials of this apparently discipleship menace...

Hence, Jesus saw through the facade of the “Alagbara”, the fake smiles, and the pomp at the lavish “owambes”... Jesus saw through the fog of sin that had accumulated over Matthew’s suffocating conscience... Jesus saw a heart that could make disciples of Ethiopia & Parthia... Jesus saw a Historian that could understand Greek & Aramaic and write in both languages fluently... one that could use tachygraphy (a medieval form of short hand); a skill needed for the quick recording of his long sermons...

So, Jesus called him not because of what he was, but what he could be... Jesus called Matthew not because of His wealth and pomp, but because of the wealth that he would pass on to the nations of the world when he wrote down the first and a detailed gospel... Jesus called Matthew & reversed the hearse for him – because dude was headed to the coffin & eternal damnation....

Guess what? He didn’t make a mistake, God never does... Mathew ended up writing the most detailed Synoptic Gospel, evangelized Ethiopia & Parthia and was so radical that a halberd (an axe blade & pick with a spearhead on top attached to a long handle) thrust through his belly was the only thing that could stop him after much persecutions... Now, dude is chilling in his mansion in Heaven... everything he gave up on earth for the sake of the gospel & more were waiting for him in heaven... “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, right?”

Matthew was a leader of thugs & hated scoundrels... He was an extortionist... His own people despised Him... Yet Jesus called him and cleaned him up... Today you see him as a fresh apostle but he was not always like that... he was once coarse & screwed up!

Listen & You’ll hear “Follow me”... that’s Jesus calling... lay aside all things & pursue this cause... let the world hear this calling through your lips and help them garner wealth in heavenly places... help them... help them reverse the hearse... help them change the course of the curse of death... let them know that Jesus has paid the minimum wage of sin (death)... how will they know if no one tells them?

Jesus never asked for golden, silver or diamond vessels... He only needed yielded vessels... yielded vessels usually bear ills but always turn out to be the best vessels for transmission...