FOLLOW // YOU'RSVP | Ps Jamie Corcoran

Jesus frames the heart of the gospel as a clear, personal invitation: follow me. Invitation matters because it signals being seen, considered, and wanted. The French RSVP — please respond — becomes a spiritual motif: God reaches out, asks for a reply, and offers relationship rather than a checklist. Christianity gets defined not by ritual compliance or moral self-improvement but by trusting and following the person of Jesus, who represents the Father’s heart and power to change lives.

Matthew’s story illustrates the scandal and mercy of that invitation. A Jewish tax collector, socially and spiritually ostracized for colluding with Roman authorities and enriching himself, receives an unexpected summons: get up and follow. In that encounter the call requires no prerequisites; it demands response, not polish. Jesus meets brokenness with welcome, not condemnation, and models a posture of grace that upends religious performance.

Eating with tax collectors and labeled sinners exposes the true target of divine compassion. Religious leaders who presumed health and righteousness recoil at the table, revealing a blindness to their own need. Mercy, not sacrifice, stands at the center of God’s desire; the invitation aims at the sick who admit their need, not the self-satisfied who mistake sufficiency for salvation.

Following Jesus promises inward transformation that precedes outward perfection. The gospel does not demand cleaned-up lives before entry; it promises that following will reshape hearts, ethics, and community. Historical witness—illustrated in the life of Patrick—shows how imperfect people who answered the call became instruments of renewal and mission. The invitation extends to anyone: the lonely, the weary, the misfits, and even those who think themselves beyond reach. The practical question becomes response: will the named invitation receive a yes that turns into the lifelong practice of following? The gospel’s power lies in that ongoing step-by-step trust, where small obedience invites large grace.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus' call is an invitation Jesus invites persons into relationship with himself rather than adding another set of religious obligations. The call centers on trust and proximity to the Father through the Son, not on joining a club or meeting standards. Responding rewrites identity: followers become living testimonies to God’s rescue and presence. [07:59]
• 2. Follow as you are The invitation requires no moral prequalification; brokenness does not disqualify but highlights need. Following functions as the entry point for healing—Jesus bears the cost that makes restoration possible. Authentic discipleship begins from honesty about the condition of the heart, not from perfected behavior. [21:23]
• 3. Faith shows through following Belief proves itself by movement toward Jesus, not merely assent or ritual. True faith disrupts patterns of life by reorienting priorities, relationships, and choices over time. Small acts of obedience reveal the reality of the new direction birthed by grace. [29:37]
• 4. God seeks the outcast Divine compassion targets those marginalized by culture and religion because they most clearly recognize need. Jesus’ table fellowship with despised people exposes religious blindness and embodies a kingdom ethos that values mercy over external purity. The church’s mission flows from that same preference for the lost. [23:51]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:00] - What RSVP Means
• [02:58] - Invitation Gymnastics
• [04:55] - Why Invitation Matters
• [05:36] - Jesus’ Central Invitation
• [09:13] - Introducing Matthew
• [13:00] - Roman Tax Context
• [18:56] - Jesus Calls Matthew
• [23:51] - Dining with Sinners
• [30:37] - Mercy, Not Sacrifice
• [33:59] - Personal Invitation to You
• [39:52] - Closing Prayer and Response

Bible reading: Matthew 9:9-13 (ESV)
9 Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Observation questions

1. What was Matthew’s occupation and social status before Jesus called him? [09:13]
2. What was the immediate and specific action Jesus asked Matthew to take? [18:56]
3. How did the religious leaders react when they saw Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners? [25:59]
4. What two groups of people did Jesus say he came to call, and which group did he say had no need of him? [30:37]

Interpretation questions

1. Why was the command “Follow me” so radical and counter-cultural when given to a man like Matthew? [13:00]
2. Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6, saying, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” What does this reveal about the heart of God versus the heart of religious performance? [31:05]
3. The Pharisees saw themselves as spiritually healthy and the tax collectors as sick. How did this perspective blind them to their own need for Jesus? [30:37]
4. What does the story of Matthew’s call tell us about the nature of God’s invitation versus a human invitation? [04:55]

Application questions

1. The invitation to follow is given “as you are,” with no prerequisites. [21:23] What part of your life or past makes you feel most hesitant to believe you can follow Jesus right now?
2. Following is an act of faith that proves itself through movement. [29:37] What is one small, practical “next step” you could take this week to actively follow Jesus in an area where you’ve been hesitant?
3. God’s compassion specifically targets those who recognize their need. [23:51] In what ways have you been trying to “clean yourself up” for God instead of honestly admitting your brokenness to him?
4. The call to follow often requires leaving something behind, as Matthew left his tax booth. [19:30] Is there a comfort, identity, or source of security Jesus might be asking you to get up and walk away from to follow him more closely?
5. The religious leaders were scandalized by who Jesus chose to eat with. [25:59] Who are the “tax collectors and sinners” in your world—the people you or your culture might look down on—that God is inviting you to show mercy to and share a meal with?
6. Following Jesus is a daily, step-by-step practice of trust. [35:05] What does it look like for you to “RSVP” to God’s invitation not just once, but every single day this week?