MARK 2:13-17 MEDITATION - Part 2
A Scandalous Choice or the Divine Plan in Action?
The encounter with Levi is presented almost as a casual, random meeting. Not so! We know from Mark chapter 1 that God organised events in the history of the nation of Israel over the centuries to prepare for the coming of John the Baptist and Christ, the Messiah. The same has been done in the life of Levi and in our lives, too. How can we explain otherwise the immediate reaction of Levi?
No one else was interested in establishing any sort of relationship with him. Jesus alone was interested in Levi, he alone could see the potential in this man. He could see what others could not; Jesus can see what lies in the heart of man (John 2:25, Mark 2:8). On hearing Jesus’ call to follow him something clicked within. There was one person after all who wanted to establish a relationship with him and this person was a celebrity, a healer, someone who spoke not like others, whose words had power. Come to me, ‘follow me’.
We need to see what is going on behind the scenes and interpret the inner and outer actions in our daily lives to see how they come together and to perceive the gentle drawing power of the Father through Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit and be ready to respond, just like Levi. If we listen we shall surely hear the call “follow me”.
Mark is sometimes said to be the Gospel of action and there is much action here, no theological statements, comments or reflections here. It is this that contributes to the swiftness and immediacy of the narrative. We move from Jesus who ‘went’, from the crowd that is ‘coming’, from Jesus who was ‘teaching’, who ‘passed by’, who ‘saw’, to Levi who is ‘sitting’, and when he heard the call, ‘follow me’, he ‘rose’ and ‘followed’. A quick succession of verbs, most of which denote action. We are carried along so quickly by the narrative that it is not easy to be aware of its significance for us. We need to pause and meditate on every word: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Actions speak louder than words but we need to be able to read and understand the actions not just the words.
A whole crowd followed Jesus but he was interested in Levi; he saw the potential that lay dormant within. Jesus takes the initiative, not Levi. This was a radical choice, a provocative choice, a choice that flew in the face of popular opinion, a scandalous choice that ran counter to the opinion of the majority. However, this scandalous choice was the divine plan for Levi. It was the Father acting through Jesus that made this choice. The choice was equally radical and unexpected for Levi, every day cooped up in his tax booth.
Be courageous! - Be Free!
Do we have the same courage and independence as Jesus? It is written: “Be not conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2). But how many of us follow the crowd, unable or unwilling to think for ourselves? The independence of Christ and the independence of the Christian is rooted in our dependence on the Father, not on self-assertion. Suddenly Levi, in his encounter with Christ, could break free from the restrictions of the prison he had constructed for himself and around himself. He was not able to set himself free, but that is why Jesus came to Levi and also why he comes to us, to set us free from the power of whatever is weighing us down, whatever is binding us, oppressing us, destroying us to embark on a new journey of life, love and freedom. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (v. 17).
Jesus gives Levi the chance of a lifetime to broaden his horizons and taste real freedom and what it means to be really loved. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). Levi’s horizons are widened beyond all expectations. The power of that call was so great that Levi did not hesitate to detach himself from his past life, symbolised by leaving his lucrative job to follow Jesus. The first thing the Holy Spirit does to each of us and to each Christian community in search of a new life is to take us out of our comfort zone, to disrupt the status quo. It certainly upset the status quo in Levi’s life. Be courageous, embrace the freedom of Christ.
Look Within and Discover God's Plan
Some say the Gospel of Mark is the easiest. I think it is not as easy as we think. Certainly being the Gospel of action we can follow the narrative and understand the words. But this can be misleading. We need the Holy Spirit to plumb the depths, to understand the meaning of the actions. We are interested in the action in so far as they reveal what lies hidden. Actions are the result of something going on within. We need to discover what goes on within, not only in the lives of the persons who populate the Gospel message, but also in ourselves, otherwise how can we discern the promptings of the Holy Spirit and distinguish between our will and the will of God? Actions are indications of a spiritual reality. We need to see how these actions contribute to achieving God’s plan in the life of Levi and in our own.
What person would immediately leave his job to follow someone who simply said ‘follow me’? It is not natural but it was God’s plan of salvation for Levi, carefully worked out through the events of his life. Now things come together, both good and bad, to prepare him to respond to the simple call of Jesus. He had a thirst to be called, to meet someone willing to associate with him. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me " (Revelation 3:20).
Christ is calling each one of us to follow him, to follow him seriously, to be a committed follower, ready to turn his back on the past. He is knocking at our door. Are we going to let hm in? Jesus is looking for serious, committed disciples, not lukewarm followers with a ‘fridge-sticker’ faith. Of the lukewarm and non-committed Jesus says “because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16). Jesus does not mince his words when it comes to discipleship. Are we as enthusiastic and as unhesitating as Levi in following Christ? We are not worthy but he wants each one of us all the same. He wants our unworthiness, believe it or not! It is up to each of us to believe and follow!
We are left wondering about the extraordinary reaction to the call. Was Levi perhaps going through some sort of inner, spiritual crisis? Were the weight and consequences of his lifestyle becoming too much for him to bear? Sin wears us out and burdens us spiritually, psychologically and physically. Was he going through a phase of self-awareness, self-knowledge, something similar to the situation of the publican in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican in Luke 18:13 who recognised his need for God’s mercy? Had he reached that stage of dissatisfaction with his life when he experienced that inner thirst that his money could not satisfy? In which case he was already prepared inwardly for the call of Christ. Nothing of this appears from the outside as we see him sitting comfortably doing his job collecting taxes. This event was not the result of chance, Jesus came for Levi at the right time and at the right moment in his life just as Jesus came at the right time and place in history and just as he comes at the right time and place for us. In our evangelising efforts, we sometimes witness that the Holy Spirit has preceded us and done the preparatory work before we even speak.
The Transforming Effect of the Word of God
This life-changing scene is unexpected and stark in its unadorned language, its immediacy, its extreme simplicity. No discussion, no persuading, no ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’, no hesitation. It is as stark and as simple as in the creation “let there be light and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). The creative power of God’s word has become alive and is active in the life of Levi (Hebrews 4:12). God’s word is indeed powerful (Psalm 29:4). Levi could have said ‘ no’. He did not say ‘hold on till I put everything in order’. Nothing of the sort. From his sitting position he ‘rose’, he rose to a new life, just as we rise from the waters of baptism to establish a relationship with Jesus. He rose up to a new relationship, a new life, to become a new creation in Christ: “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The transformation was significant as Levi is none other than the evangelist, Matthew. This episode is told by Matthew himself and also by Luke. Both Mark and Luke use the name ‘Levi’, Matthew alone uses his new name ‘Matthew’ (gift of God). Let us imagine what the word of God, through the Holy Spirit, can do for us once we accept that call to follow him.
The call of Jesus to follow him shook the very foundations of his self-confidence and self-sufficiency. Many of us have experienced that profound moment when God says ‘let there be light and there was light’ and we realise our need for Christ, to follow him and turn our backs on the past and embrace the new life offered to us, just like Levi.
Are we oppressed by our lifestyle, by the burden of sin, do we feel anxious, empty within, with no sense of direction or meaning in life? St Augustine once wrote: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you” (Confessions). Don’t wait too long, don’t resist or hesitate, respond to the call, “now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2), we do not know about tomorrow.
The figure of Levi should reassure us. If Jesus could choose such a detested person, such a social outcast, he can surely accept you and I: “whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).
Today people have role models that lead them along the path of destruction, celebrities surrounded by shining lights who, off stage, have darkness within. Do we prefer to follow these in preference to Christ?
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Mark 2:13-17 Text and Questions
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