Mark 2:13-15
(NASB)
“13 And He went out again by the seashore; and
all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.
14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of
Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, ‘Follow Me!’ And he got
up and followed Him.
15 And it happened that He was reclining at
the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining
with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were
following Him.”
My life from a very young age has been filled with politics. I remember setting around the dinner table
having political discussions with my dad as young as ten years old. Before my dad died in 2010 he revealed to me
that deep understanding regarding the subject.
My grandfather had been elected twice on the school board in Logan
county Arkansas. I can remember how
interesting it was to see the shift that I had made when I first came to Christ
at 17 some thirty years ago. That
transfer of believe and thought was overnight.
Suddenly I wasn’t as in tune with the liberal mush that came from the TV
media. Surprisingly I was more
interested in the issues of the moment:
Issues about life, sanctity of life; issues dealing with belief systems;
issues dealing with sexual identity because that dealt with the questions of
evolution verses creation. I was not longer a follower of what was being
put out, but I followed Someone of higher authority and had a deeper, greater
calling. Over the years all of that has
been challenged, but thanks to the Lord I have stayed true.
Mark is an interesting book because it shows Jesus moving
from place to place very quickly. In
chapter 1 He just shows up on the scene and we march straight to the cross and
resurrection from there. He is always
doing something, always on the move, always in motion. In Mark chapter 2 we see some very
interesting things. The story of the
paralytic man being helped by his friends is told in verses 1-12. We see the scribes and Pharisees challenging
Jesus on several issues (vv. 6-7, 18, 24).
But right in the middle of the chapter, right at the center of all the
activity and criticism, is an action that could very easily be missed. It is the action of following.
Three times we see Jesus being followed. The first time we Mark tells of a group of
people who had evidently witnessed healing of the paralytic “coming to Him” (v.
13). Then we observe Him calling Levi
(Matthew) to follow Him and that is exactly what Levi does (v. 14). The third time we see a group of people
following Jesus to a meal that is being given, evidently at Levi’s house (v.
15).
There are two things we can grasp dealing with following
Jesus that occur: One is how Jesus used
the opportunity; He used it to teach.
Both in verses 13 and 15 Jesus taught the people. Jesus didn’t just set and drink up all the
praise. He had a purpose behind allowing
people to follow, to teach the way of Truth, the idea that He is Truth. The second reason that Jesus used as an
opportunity to allow people to follow Him is for service. The Greek word for follow in verse 14 is Ἀκολούθει
(Akoluthi) which means to “join a person
as an attendant.” Jesus called Levi to
be His servant. If it is Levi’s house
that the meal is being served at then Levi has immediately began to fulfill
that role as a servant of the Lord by introducing his friends to Christ. Again Jesus uses the moment to teach eternal
truth.
I think the point is that Jesus willingly shared His life
and teaching with others for the sake of bringing eternal life to those who
needed it and wanted it. Levi reflected
that idea by inviting His friends to meet Jesus. Nothing has changed with following
Jesus. About three weeks ago I asked a
question about whether community service is really evangelism or not. The fact is that it is not; it is just being
a good citizen. However, if the idea is
to carry to gospel to a lost world around us, then yes it can be a tool that
God uses. Anything in our lives can be a
tool that God uses to reach the lost world with the gospel. It can be grocery shopping, mowing our lawn,
mowing someone else’s lawn, taking care of ourselves by watch what we eat and
how we exercise. Anything can be a tool,
but we have to live our lives with the expressed purpose of sharing the gospel
with those around us.
Questions: What are
you doing today? How are you serving
Jesus today? Are you sharing Jesus to a
world that is dying, dead in their sins?
Are you concerned that people are in rebellion against God and that is
the reason(s) they hold the world view of destruction in their lives? Do you care that your friend, neighbor,
child, spouse, parent, ex-spouse, or family member is going to Hell? Have you taken the time to serve God by
serving them with the truth that Jesus died on the cross for and because of our
sins? Are you taking the time to share
with them how that He rose from the dead physically, giving them the
opportunity to have forgiveness of sin and eternal life?
Think about it!
Your thoughts are welcomed.
Steven Swaim
President and Founder, Be Devoted Ministries
