“As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth.” (Matthew 9:9 NIV)
Matthew’s conversion story does not begin with Matthew. It begins with Jesus, who is on His way—not as a tourist traveling through the land to see the sights, but as the Messiah who is constantly seeking lost people. He passes by the tax collector’s booth where Matthew is collecting taxes and sees him there. Jesus does not merely see a tax official; He sees a real person with a name and a heart. Where others look down on him, Jesus sees someone who needs salvation. That is where the change in Matthew’s life begins.
The Lord Jesus sees you as well, wherever you are. He looks beyond outward appearances—He looks straight into your heart. He knows who you are, what occupies your mind, and what questions you are wrestling with. He is interested in you as a person. He is still seeking lost people. He will keep doing so until the end of the world.
Perhaps you do not feel seen by the people around you. Perhaps no one pays attention to you, or you are deliberately ignored. Know that Jesus truly does see you.
Do you feel seen and known by the Lord Jesus? What does that mean to you? And if Jesus says that He is seeking lost people, do you sense that this applies to you?