The Man Jesus Knew

Recently while reading in Matthew's Gospel, I was stopped by the phrase, "he saw a man." The man Jesus saw was Matthew, a tax collector, probably a man hated by those around him. The people had no use for tax collectors.
Yet, Jesus, who "knew what was in each person" (John 2:25), saw a man He knew would become His follower. When Jesus said, "Follow me," Matthew immediately left all and followed.

When Jesus saw my friend Anita, He "saw a woman"--a Hindu woman who one day reached her hands out of her apartment window in New York, and said, "Jesus, come to me." Jesus did. He moved her to Kansas City where she learned that Jesus loved her and longed to not only come to her.

Jesus is still seeing men and women who, given a chance to know Him, would follow Him. When He prompts us to form a friendship or speak a word about Him, He may be seeing another Matthew or Anita who would gladly follow Him.

Dear Jesus, help us to know how to present you to others and to assume that there are many hungry to know You.

"I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me" (John 13:20).