Levi’s Calling - Mark 2:14

 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.- Mark 2:14

    A tax collector in Christ’s day was, to say the least, a man of means. Even at the level of local collection, tax collectors were in the unique position of amassing enough to both pay the required taxes and skim enough, in addition to their salaries, to make themselves a very lucrative living. The Jewish people were aware of this and so their intense hatred for “tax collectors,” who they saw as thieves and traitors to Israel.   
    And rather than paint a less than accurate picture of Levi, let us all agree that as a tax collector, he must have been competent and calculating. Clearly, he was astute at accounting so he was not an ignorant man of his times. Levi certainly would have been considered brighter than a common fisherman or even a carpenter. Considering his business calling, besides his first language of Aramaic, he would have been proficient both in Latin (the language of the Roman occupying forces) as well as Greek. He was a man well versed in the art of collecting wealth, so much so that according to Luke, he threw a banquet in Jesus’ honor. “And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them.” - Luke 5:29.
    Taking the reputation of tax collectors in Judea into consideration, the Pharisees were quick to raise objections to Christ’s association with them. “And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” - Matthew 9:12. Beyond this short account in the Synoptic Gospels, little else is revealed on Levi the tax collector, AKA the Apostle Matthew. We know that he owned a home elaborate enough to entertain large groups of people. As a well to do publican we can safely assume he dressed in the finest clothing available in his time. This is how Levi appeared to those in his area of influence: a man respected by his ilk and hated by those he collected from.
    Another question is raised by Levi also going by the name, “Matthew.” There actually need be no confusion on the matter: Levi was his Aramaic name while Matthew was the Greek translation. Similarly, Peter means "stone" in Greek, while Cephas means "stone" in Aramaic.
    So with Matthew’s brief back-story, we have to ask, with all that he had in his official position, why on earth would he have ever simply picked up, abandon his tax business, and follow Jesus based upon the mere verbal command to “follow Me?” Very certainly, we can dismiss the notion that the mere words were enough to move this man off his wealth and status. Matthew would have met the words “follow me” with the same cynicism as the words, “I can’t pay what I owe you.” No, the motivation for Matthew had to have been much deeper than mere conversation.
    Later on in the Gospels, when a rich young ruler approached Jesus, Our Lord beckoned him with very much the same language.  “Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”- Matthew 19:21-22. One might ask, “Why did Levi follow Christ while the rich young ruler didn’t?” The answer to that question can be seen on a weekly basis in nearly any true Christian church: two men visit the same church, sit in the same pew, and listen to the same sermon, given by the same minister on the same Sunday. One walks out with his heart changed for Christ while the other leaves the church preoccupied with getting home in time to see the game.
    The young ruler’s heart proved to be the path where the seed was sown while Levi’s heart was the good soil where the seed took root. One was unable to receive the Good News while the other heard it and his heart was changed by it. The word of God is available to all of us. But how many of us will allow that seed to take root and grow in our hearts like Levi? When Christ gives us His command to follow Him, will we turn and walk away like the rich young ruler or will we respond like Levi, leaving our worldly lives behind us to eat of the bread of life? Our calling is to simply obey.