Jesus Christ Is Calling You
And as he passed on, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.” (Mark 2:14)
Earthly glories should never cause one to lose their vision and purpose. As Jesus gained more and more fame, he could have stopped and basked, enjoying the earthly honours – when everyone was searching for him, but he did not. And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out” (Mark 1:37-38). Jesus kept his the scope of his outreach mission in focus in order not to be derailed by any distractions – bitter or sweet. In the passage in the next Chapter, observe the unity of his actions, his words, and his message of beckoning that demands a response even today, because the mission is still on.
Mark 2:13-17 records the Lord teaching many beside the sea, then calling one he found at a tax booth. He then accepted to go dine with this one Levi, whose friends were his peers at work and their friends – tax collectors and sinners. These actions speak louder than words; the Pharisees were hearing but hardly understanding what Jesus was saying through these actions. In many African and Asian cultures eating together is very significant in building and maintaining close relationships. It means deep mutual acceptance of one another. How could such a righteous Rabbi stoop that low to eat with these sinners? Levi and his friends did not ask that question; they simply understood the gesture and followed and were transformed by their new friend Jesus Christ.
The scribes of the Pharisees who dared question Jesus’ actions were given a seemingly obvious answer: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Luke (5:3-11) gives more details of what happened when Jesus called Simon Peter, “… he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’” Now another sinner has been called by the same Master. He promised Peter to be a fisher of men, and indeed he fished them – beginning with 3000 on the Day of Pentecost, then many more, both Jews and Gentiles, from the three continents of Asia, Europe and Africa. Levi demanded from the people to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar; in his new calling he demanded from the people to give to God what belongs to God. The Gospel of Matthew is his legacy to bring the same message to generations in the future.
His actions are clearly consistent with his words. Given that the mission is not yet over, Jesus still calls to send out, and He is calling you. You may see shortcomings in yourself, as did Peter and Levi, but what is required is just to trust and follow the one who calls. Like a physician that turns around the sick and sad to become healthy and happy, the Lord is able to transform the losing sinner into a loving winner – a worthy vessel to participate in this great divine mission at hand.
God bless you all.