Anchor My Faith

Calling Levi

Scripture: Mt 9:9; Mk 2:13-14; Lk 5:28

In our previous lesson, Jesus claims to have the ability to forgive sins and connects that ability to his ability to heal the paralytic, which he does. Amazement seizes the people and they leave glorifying God, talking about what they saw but not about the fact that Jesus could forgive their sins. That comment will probably fester in the background of their minds for some time and then surface in different ways for different people at a later time. For some it will be in belief, but for others it will be in rejection and even persecution.

From there ^{“Mk 2:13} [Jesus] went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them.” No matter where Jesus goes, a crowd gathers around him waiting to hear what he has to say because what he teaches is clarification of what has been spoken of in the Old Testament. He is not sharing anything new, but to those who are listening it may seem to be entirely new. At least they haven’t been hearing it from the Scribes and Pharisees.

^{“Mk 2: 14} And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus, ^{Mt 9:9} called Matthew, ^{Mk 2: 14} sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.”’ Apparently after a teaching session, Jesus moved on and as he did he passed by people going about their business, he saw Levi sitting at the tax booth.” As a tax collector, Levi, called Matthew, would have connections with Herod Antipas and thus with the Roman Empire. Since Roman was an occupying force in the Jewish land of Palestine, and since Levi collected taxes for them he was a despised person by the Jews. He was despised not only because he collected taxes, but because tax collectors were known to increase the tax charged and keep the increase for themselves. His tax booth being by the Sea of Galilee was there for the purpose of taxing fisherman. Since Andrew, John, Peter and James were fisherman from that area, they probably had been taxed by him, which may cause a problem if Jesus should decide to make him one of his disciples.

Jesus told Levi to follow him ^{“Lk 5:28} And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.” Jesus was requesting Levi to make a total commitment to him and in response he gets up and leaves everything behind and follows Jesus. It is clear that in the ages past, God had chosen Levi and today was the time when the Holy Spirit brought spiritual understanding too light and Levi got up and followed in obedience to that distant call that was now spoken by Jesus. Clearly God brought about a change in Levi’s heart.

In out next lesson we will see evidence of that changed heart.

Prayer

Father, I don’t believe Levi was born again at this time, but he was on the path that leads to spiritual birth. It is like this was a time of spiritual conception for Levi, when Jesus called him, and then one day later, at Your will, he will be spiritually ready and birth will take place.