He
went out again by the seaside. All the multitude came to him, and he taught them. As he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he arose and followed him.
Mark 2:13-14
Mark 2 [12.] He arose, and immediately took up the mat, and went out in front of them all; so that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
Mark 2 [13.] He went out again by the seaside. All the multitude came to him, and he taught them. As he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he arose and followed him.
Mark 2 [15.] He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners sat down with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many, and they followed him.
Meaning:
After showing His authority to forgive sins, Jesus does something that would have shocked many in Capernaum: He calls a tax collector to be His disciple. Levi, also known as Matthew, was the kind of person respectable people avoided. These two verses show the reach of Jesus’ grace and the simple, life-changing power of His call.
- Teaching by the Sea:
"He went out again by the seaside. All the multitude came to him, and he taught them": Jesus continued to put teaching first. Out in the open by the Sea of Galilee there was room for everyone who wanted to hear.
- Levi at the Tax Office:
"He saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax office": Tax collectors worked for the ruling powers and were widely seen as traitors and cheats who grew rich at their neighbors’ expense. Levi’s booth was a place of money and compromise. Yet Jesus "saw" him, not merely as others saw him, but as someone He was calling. Matthew’s own Gospel records the same moment (Matthew 9:9).
- Follow Me:
"Follow me": The call is just two words, the same call Jesus gave the fishermen (Mark 1:16-17). There are no conditions about cleaning up his life first. Jesus’ invitation comes before Levi has done anything to deserve it.
- He Arose and Followed Him:
"And he arose and followed him": Levi’s response was immediate. For a fisherman it might be possible to return to the boats, but a tax collector who walked away from his post could not easily go back. Levi left a secure income for an uncertain road with Jesus, and soon he was inviting his friends to meet Him (Mark 2:15-16).
The Significance of Levi’s Call
- No One Is Beyond His Reach:
Jesus chose people others rejected. "God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong" (1 Corinthians 1:27). Whatever our past, Jesus’ call is open to us.
- Grace Before Change:
"While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus does not wait for people to become good before He calls them; His call is what begins the change.
- A Decisive Response:
Following Jesus may mean leaving behind old securities. Levi’s example encourages us to respond to Christ wholeheartedly.
Cross-References:
Matthew 9:9: "As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, “Follow me.” He got up and followed him." Matthew tells of his own call in almost the same words.
Mark 1:17: "Come after me, and I will make you into fishers for men." Jesus’ call to Levi echoes His call to the first disciples.
1 Corinthians 1:27: "God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong;" God delights in calling unlikely people.
Romans 5:8: "But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." God’s love reaches us before we change.
Conclusion: Mark 2:13-14 records Jesus calling Levi the tax collector with two simple words, "Follow me", and Levi rising at once to follow. The passage reveals the wide reach of God’s grace and the wholehearted response that Jesus’ call deserves. No one is too far gone to be called by Him.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible