GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 2:14
Follow Me
I read a story about a poor man who attended a Christian meeting. People responded to the altar call by pledging their energy and resources to follow Jesus. The poor man didn’t have any wealth or resources to offer, so he laid himself on the altar, explaining that this was all he had.
St. Mark said that as Jesus walked along the lake’s shore, he saw a man sitting at the station where travelers had to pay a tax. “And as he was going along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax collection booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And getting up, he followed him.” (2:14) The road along the Sea of Galilee was a major route, and pilgrims had to pay a customs or toll tax. This particular tax collector worked not for the Roman government but for Herod Antipas, the governor. However, tax collectors were still tax collectors, regardless of whom they worked for. Writers placed tax collectors alongside adulterers, panderers, flatterers, and sycophants—they, regardless of how personally honest, were hated.
This is likely another Markan collapse of time, for the call of Levi and his forsaking his post take place within a few words. It hardly seems likely that this tax collector would simply walk away from his job. His employer, the governor, would need an audit and an explanation for his sudden departure. What is more probable is that Levi, or Matthew, had heard Jesus teaching, may have had conversations with him, may have been considering abandoning one occupation for another, had made all the appropriate departure arrangement, and had resolved to become a disciple. Anyone who has made a major, life-altering decision knows the emotional and spiritual consequences. Whatever the case, though, Levi resolved to follow Jesus, much like the poor man above who placed himself on the altar.
There’s a story about a man who came to a brook that could not be crossed easily. He debated. Finally, he threw his coat to the other side; he made sure there would be no turning back; and he was committed. Jesus’ “follow me” is still true, and believers have answered it in many different ways by getting up and following him.
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