“Follow me” – Lk 5:27-32
Jesus meets Levi who is a tax collector. He tellshim: "Follow me". And Levi follows Jesus ... responds positively to the calling. He leaves his current life and follows the Master of Nazareth. Lewi was a tax collector. It means he worked for Rome. And that meant he was considered a traitor by most of his neighbors. "Tax collectors and sinners" are synonyms.
Jesus, however, does not see him as a sinner, but a man for whom it is worth fighting like as for anyone else. And he calls him. Christ's Voice: Follow me! resounds and today Jesus comes to our realities and to the realities of our friends. Sometimes it may seem that we are not good enough or that someone is not good enough. God does not see the same way as we do. He does not see people in these categories.
For him, our relationships and acquaintances or our conventions do not count. He can appoint a criminal, prostitute, fraud, homeless person as his disciple. An alcoholic, drug addict, disabled person can become his witness. What we think of such people is irrelevant. God can make them tools. And even if we stamp our feet and say that there are many decent, clean, wise, rich, brilliant and at all cooler people than "those" ... God will do as He wants. And not as we think that would be done.
We read further: Then Levi had a great party for Him at home; and there were a good number of tax collectors and others who sat at table with them. The Pharisees and scribes murmured at this and said to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus surrounds himself with tax collectors and sinners and with the people who are simply despised. Probably, today we would mention other social groups, but it is about an analogy. In our religious life there would also be a lot of people who in human terms we would delete because someone is not as spiritual as WE, it means that he/she is WORSE. For our logic, Jesus should stick with US ... and not with THEM.
But Jesus replied, "Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners”. Here Jesus shows the error of thinking of His contemporaries and ours: Those who are healthy do not need a doctor, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Jesus is a doctor of souls that is why he comes to the weak and sinful. Each of us "needs a doctor" because we are, to one degree or another, sinners. Therefore, each of us is called to follow Jesus, like Levi. But it is not enough just to follow Him. You have to invite him to your home, to your life, to your everyday life.
The second thought concerned the feast at Levi in which many tax collectors and sinners participate. And the Pharisees and scribes murmur. He eats with sinners ... This is a typical picture for us today. One time, Pope Francis baptized an illegitimate child. How much talk of the so-called "decent Christians" was caused, that it was against the teaching of the Church, that it was against Tradition, that something ... something.
And how much talk was there when he celebrated the liturgy on Holy Thursday in a correctional facility instead of in the Vatican? And when he washed the feet of the Muslim woman. Again they shout: It is unworthy ... it is an abuse ... it is an insult to God ...
There are many screamers today who consider themselves more papal than the pope. There were just as many in Christ's time more "divine" than God Himself. It is easy to show others. They are sinners. Bad ... Terrible ... Worthy of criticism ... To blame. And we ... You and me? Who are we? I am a sinner and I need salvation. Each of us should confess this truth morning and evening. We all have sinned, we all are deprived of the glory of God. But Jesus came just for us. For me and for you. He says: Those who are healthy do not need a doctor, but those who are sick. Who among us is not a sinner? Who among us is perfect before God? No one! And that's why Jesus comes to call each of us. Each of us is called to be His disciple. No matter what you think about yourself right now.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george