Season 3 Episode 7 God Sends a Dove

[Dr. Shane]

Mary Magdalene and Matthew have a heart to heart conversation in this episode.  In a previous episode, she had found prayer tassels hidden in a trunk in Matthew's former house.  He gets very upset when she asks him about them.  He has an emotional outburst and leaves the home.  Later he returns to apologize and tell her the story of the prayer tassels.  A shepherd had given them to Matthew when he was working as a tax collector.  The shepherd claimed they were the most valuable thing he had.  The shepherd's debt was enormous.  Matthew accepted the tassels but instead of selling them, he hid them away in his trunk.  Of course, the story is completely made up and not Biblical.  Mary explains the point was the shepherd wanted Matthew to have his faith.  It wasn't about the tassels.  It was about his faith.

When I was young, I remember being told that for every person I won to Christ, I would have a star on my crown in heaven.  As I grew older, I realized that most people that decide to follow Christ, do so after God has placed many people, at different times, in their path.  It is rarely "one" person that wins another to Christ.  It is a series of people.  It is a series of events.  This reality is displayed in this made-up story of Matthew and the shepherd.  Long before Jesus called Matthew to follow Him, a shepherd gave Matthew his prayer tassels.  Mary explained to Matthew that sometimes God sends a dove - which is a reference to season 1 episode 1 when God used a dove to guide Mary to a place where she had an encounter with Christ. 

I tend to believe that the stars on our crown will not be for winning someone to Christ all by ourselves.  Rather, a star will be on our crown for contributing to the decision that someone makes for Christ.  Sometimes God sends a dove and sometimes,,,, we are that dove.