Written by Jonathan Melton
Luke 5:27-28 (NRSV) After this [Jesus] went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up, left everything, and followed him.
Surrendering the presumption to know whom God will call or in whom God will act is surely one of the most difficult things about being a Christian. But Jesus’ call of Levi reminds us that we cannot fathom the reach of God’s saving grace.
Levi is a puppet of the Roman Empire, having exchanged his birthright as a son of Israel for the opportunity to cheat his people through a sordid blend of idolatry and treason. And yet Jesus calls Levi into service—and Levi surrenders his old life. The surprise is less that Levi leaves his position and more that Jesus will have him.
Is there anything more fundamental to the witness of the gospels than the idea that Jesus speaks new life and possibilities to those who don’t deserve it? Jesus comes to raise the dead! I struggle on a daily basis to name my deadness, fearful that I might be disqualified from participation in the kingdom. But what if, as Levi’s calling suggests, accepting one’s deadness is God’s first gift to the saints?
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