“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

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Taxes

A Series on Living in the Wilderness
Zacchaeus the tax collector
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Lk 19:1-10 

[In this series we’ll be looking at people who lived in the wilderness of life. In fact, there are times when we all feel like we are living in the wilderness. During those times, it’s important to remember that the Lord is faithful, that He loves you and is always with you.]

 

Complaining is as American as apple pie. Typical topics include the weather, the cost of gas or groceries, other drivers and how your favorite sports team is doing. However, the topic of taxes can result in bitter complaining.

 

As high as taxes are today, it doesn’t come anywhere near first century taxes for the Jews in Judea and Galilee. According to the ESV Archeological Study Bible, the Roman tax could reach between 50-80 percent of an individual’s personal income!

 

Compounding this was who benefited from the taxes. They were mostly used to fund Rome’s World Empire or lining a politician’s pockets or, the most hated… tax collectors. These were fellow Jews who were considered both traitors and thieves.

 

It was standard operating procedure for a tax collector to pocket anything extra that he charged with no limits. They even extorted taxpayers by threatening to file a false report if the person didn’t pay what they demanded. They were also known to take bribes or grant special favors. Basically, they were unethical!

 

Jews considered tax collectors the worst kind of sinner. They were outcasts, not welcome at the synagogue. They consorted with the enemy – Rome. They lived materialistic and self-absorbed lives. They lived in a wilderness.

 

Such was the case for Zacchaeus. However, the passage tells us that Zacchaeus “wanted to see who Jesus was”. This would seem to indicate that either he had seen and heard Jesus before or heard stories about him.

 

Possibly, he heard Jesus’ parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector praying at the temple. In the parable, the Pharisee thanked God that he wasn’t a sinner like the tax collector. While the tax collector begged God for mercy as a sinner.

 

Following the parable, Jesus said something extraordinary: the tax collector would go home justified before God, but not the Pharisee.

 

Whatever Zacchaeus may have witnessed or heard about Jesus, on that day by the sycamore tree, he promised Jesus that he would give half of his possessions to the poor and would pay back anybody that he had cheated four times the amount.

 

When Jesus heard Zacchaeus, he said this.

 

⁹ “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”   NLT

 

In verse 10, Jesus was making a direct reference to Ezekiel 34 where the Sovereign Lord, speaking through Ezekiel, condemned the religious leaders of the day for not shepherding the people of Israel. And then promised them this.

 

¹² I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.         NLT

 

Like Zacchaeus, this promise is true today for you and me. Jesus will seek us out and rescue us wherever we’re scattered. Even when we’re living in a wilderness.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com