Sometimes People are Waiting for the Call to Follow Jesus: RRE 17
Religion Ruins Everything Daily 9.27.16
He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 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.
And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:13–17 ESV
Jesus was walking along the road and out of all of the people He could stop and talk to, He stopped and talked to Levi the tax collector. Tax collectors were typically rich but had terrible reputations. They were looked on as traitors, liars, greedy, and cheaters. Nobody who loved Israel or God’s Law would want to talk to them or even be associated with them.
It only took two words to convince Levi to leave behind his life of questionable high-finance and follow Jesus. Sometimes we think people will need a lot of convincing to believe in Christ and follow Him with their whole life. In many cases, the salvation and rescue is so clear, that as soon as people hear that God cares for them, they run to Him. Pray for those kinds of conversations today, and don’t be afraid of the tax man.