Jesus knows our potential

Mar 2:13-17

13* Then Jesus went again to walk alongside the lake. Again a crowd came to him, and he taught them. 14 Strolling along, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, "Come along with me." He came. 15 Later Jesus and his disciples were at home having supper with a collection of disreputable guests. Unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become followers. 16 The religion scholars and Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company and lit into his disciples: "What kind of example is this, acting cozy with the riff-raff?" 17 Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit."

Food for thought!

We begin by noticing that it was during his walk along the lakeside that Jesus called Levi (Matthew). Even as he was walking along, Jesus was looking for opportunities and partners. Jesus was never off duty; he was always on the look out, always looking for opportunities, because opportunities are everywhere and in everybody, even in the unlikely and unliked people like Matthew.

Of all the people Jesus called to follow him Matthew gave up the most. He literally left all to follow Jesus. Peter and Andrew, James and John could go back to the boats and sea, for they were fishermen. There were always fish to catch and always the old trade to which to return; but Matthew burned his bridges completely. With one action, in one moment of time, by one swift decision he had put himself out of his job forever, for having left his tax-collector's job, he would never get it back. For many people, his decision was the most reckless thing anybody could do.

A certain famous man had the habit of going for long country walks on the river. When he came to a brook that was rather too wide to cross comfortably, the first thing he did was to throw his coat over to the other side. He made sure that there was to be no turning back. He took the decision to cross and made sure he was going to stick to it. Matthew was the man who staked everything on Christ's word, "Follow me"; and he was not wrong. When and if Jesus says to you "come", leave whatever you're doing right now and go to where he tells you, you better go because he knows best.

From his decision Matthew got at least two things. (a) He lost one job but he got afar bigger one. It has been said that Matthew left everything but one thing--he did not leave his pen, for the first gospel was written by Matthew. With his orderly mind, his systematic way of working, his familiarity with the pen, Matthew was the first man to give the world a book on the teaching of Jesus. When Jesus calls you, take your skills with you and use them for Christ.

(b) The odd thing is that Matthew's "reckless" decision brought him the one thing he had been looking for -- be of use not just to a few but to as many people as possible. Today, all who own a Bible own the gospel according to Matthew. Had Matthew refused the challenge he would have had a local coverage. But because he answered the call he gained a world-wide coverage as the man who gave to men the record of the words of Jesus. God never goes back on the man who stakes his all on him.

Like Matthew, sometimes the Lord challenges us to leave our comfort zone, our old jobs, our old mentality, our old beliefs, our old friends to move on to territories known only to him.