“Follow Me”

A series on meeting God – Matthew/Levi
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 5:27-32 

[We all have a story about how we met God. Some are more miraculous than others, but none more amazing than the mere fact that the Living God, our Creator, reached out to bring us into relationship with him. In this series, we will be looking at how people in the Bible met God, and what that means to you today.]

 

In 1978, my wife and I went to San Francisco for a conference. While there, we got to see many of the iconic sights including the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Alcatraz and Fisherman’s Wharf. But one of the most memorable sights was something we saw on Fisherman’s Wharf.

 

A street musician used a “decorated” cardboard box as his stage. Initially, he was hidden inside of the box. However, when someone dropped some money into the designated slot, the musician opened a flap and played a song on his trumpet. It was an ingenious form of marketing in a very busy, touristy area.

 

One day in Capernaum, Jesus went down to the lake where a large crowd gathered around him, so he began to teach them. As he was walking, he noticed Levi, later known as Matthew, who was sitting in his tax collector’s booth.

 

Capernaum was at the crossroads of a major international highway. Like the street musician, Levi’s booth was strategically located to maximize the collection of taxes from merchants who traveled through the city.

 

Tax collectors were unregulated and unethical yet operated with the authority of Rome. They were notorious for collecting not only the required taxes, but as much extra as they could extract for themselves.

 

Also, the taxes they collected supported the oppressive Roman government. As a result, they were outcasts and hated by most Jews so much so that they were expelled from the synagogue.

 

Despite this, or maybe because of it, Jesus said to Levi “Follow me”. “So, Levi got up, left everything, and followed him”. This was no small decision. If Levi ever changed his mind, it was highly unlikely that he’d be able to get his job back.

 

To honor Jesus, Levi hosted a great banquet at his house. And he invited all his friends who also happened to be tax collectors and other “sinners”. Needless to say, the Pharisees were not happy and questioned Jesus about this.

 

³¹ Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. ³² I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”           NLT

 

Think about it, in the middle of teaching a crowd of people Jesus saw Levi, a despised tax collector and an outsider. There must have been something that prompted Jesus to say to him, “Follow me”. As a result, Levi’s life was changed forever.

 

From his encounter with Jesus, Levi went on to use the same God-given skills that he had used as a tax collector. That is, he made keen observations and kept detailed notes. Ultimately, this led to writing the Gospel of Matthew.

 

It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that Jesus had Levi in mind when he told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. This is where the Pharisee was self-righteous and the tax collector self-deprecating. Jesus concluded:

 

¹⁴ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”        NLT   Luke 18

 

Like Levi, Jesus sees us and is calling us saying, “Follow me”?

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com