Newt Gingrich Devotional: Matthew a government insider?

Editor’s Note: Newt Gingrich is our guest devotional writer.

Focal Passage: Matthew 9:9  “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.”

I’ll tell you my thesis up front– Matthew was no more an Appian Way insider than I’m a Mexican immigrant. Frankly, it’s preposterous that Our Lord would call such a man as his disciple. An agent of big government, in favor of raising taxes? God forbid! The text merely states Matthew was “sitting at the receipt of custom.” No doubt he was in line to complain about government bureaucracy and red tape.

Admittedly, he’s described as a “publican” –those who in antiquity were public contractors to oversee certain duties for the Romans. This is all very similar to accusations made against me about being a “lobbyist,” when in reality I was merely offering historical advice and counseling.

From one ‘Publican to another, I feel for the Apostle and the burden he’s had to bear, chased by the media jackals through unending seasons of time. I’ll grant you that, at worst, Matthew may have been a CPA, but nothing more.