Levi the son of Alphaeus - Mark 2:14

Mark wrote how Jesus, “went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them”, and in chapter two and verse fourteen of his book, Mark shares how Jesus, “saw Levi the son of Alphaeus” where we read:

And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom,

and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

The verse reads, “And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, ...” Mark began with the words, “and as he passed by” which means “and as Jesus departed and lead forward”, “he saw Levi” or “Jesus perceived, discovered, noticed and discerned Levi whose name means joined” “the son of Alphaeus” which means “the offspring and progeny of Alphaeus whose name means changing” “sitting at the receipt of custom” or “seated in the place in which the tax collector gathered taxes”. Mark shared how Jesus “passed by” the shore of the sea of Galilee and saw “Levi” or “Matthew” “collecting taxes”.

The verse goes on to say “... and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.” Mark continued with the words, “and said unto him” which means “and uttered, proclaimed and declared to Levi”, “follow me” or “be joined unto, come alongside and become Jesus' disciple”.“And he arose” which means “and Levi raised up and elevated himself” “and followed him” or “and was joined to, came alongside and became Jesus' disciple”. Mark shared how Jesus told “Levi” to “follow him” and “become His disciple” and Levi obeyed.

When we think through Mark's words in this verse, we see Jesus' calling of another of His “disciples” - “Levi” or “Matthew” who was a “tax collector”. We know Jesus previously chose “fishermen” as His “students and pupils”, and this time He chose a “tax collector” who was notably disliked if not hated by the people. This seems unlikely for those who examine Jesus' life, however, God desires every person from every walk of life to have a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus. The key to this passage is not only that Jesus noticed and called Levi, but also that Levi complied. Jesus still calls today, and those who are wise will answer affirmatively by “following Him”.

Next time Mark shares, “as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinner sat also together with Jesus and his disciples”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".