Episode #86: Follow Me
“And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.” (Mark 2:14)
The tribe of Levi was the tribe chosen by God to be the priests in the temple. The tax collectors were not even allowed in the temple. They were considered a lower class of sinners. The fact that his name was Levi means his parents wanted him to go into the priesthood. The fact that he was working as a tax collector meant he failed miserably at being a priest. Tax collectors would often have Roman guards with them to make sure the people paid the tax. The guards were not only enforcing the tax but they were keeping Levi in check. When Jesus called Levi, he immediately stood up and followed.
This doesn’t seem like too big of a deal until you consider the crowd in place. The armed guards that kept him in check and the crowd of Jews that hated him were all in attendance. A long list of bad decisions and failures had lead Levi to sitting in the tax-collector’s booth. He stood up, in spite of the crowd, in spite of all his previous bad decisions, and followed Jesus. The evidence of his redemption is witnessed in the first book of the New Testament. Levi was also known as Matthew and his gospel is the first book of the New Testament. He boldly stood up in front of his bosses and those who hated him.
Let us be a people who we stand up today, in front of the crowd, in spite of past failures and bad decisions, and follow Jesus?
Love Y’all! Be Blessed!
Let Us Be A People 