Follow Me! (Jesus’ Words to the Levi Tax Collector and to Us!)
Fr. Hugh Gillespie, SMM
Follow Me!
The Word of God is compared to a double-sided sword.
The Word of God, we hear, is sharper. We are told to keep the Word of God with great care. Maybe we should treat the Bible as careful as a knife in our hands. The homily expands upon this point. If we are really serious about letting the Lord speak to us, we must recognize He cuts through all the games we Christians like to play. He cuts throughs the things we do not want to look at within ourselves.
The Word Penetrates the Very Core of a Person
The Word can penetrate the very core of a person. We are all exposed before the sight of God. We can not hide from Him. There is no covering that we can use to hide. In the Gospel reading, the Lord pierces through the falsehoods that we have in each of our lives.
In approaching the Levi in the Customs House, Jesus tells Levi, come Follow Me! Levi didn’t come looking for Jesus. Jesus claimed him. It wasn’t a request. There was no pleasantries (such as nice to meet you) or even an introduction. No, Jesus says Follow Me! It’s a command, not a request.
Levi got up and followed Jesus, immediately. Why? Because the claim of Christ cut through everything else that Levi was committed to in his life. Jesus’ Words pierced him, between sole and body. Its wasn’t easy to drop everything and Follow Him. Jesus called him out of his job. Jesus called him out of what he thought his life was in this world.
The Gospel reading continues and Jesus is with Levi and others (tax collectors and sinners) dinning. We hear people use cutting and judging words. People come to the Apostles, not to Jesus, and try to throw doubt and suspicion. Hear what the world tells us about God, rather than letting the Lord tells us.
Jesus addresses the Pharisees. Listen to Jesus’ cutting Words. Hear more within this audio. Listen and understand more about letting the Lord speak into our sinfulness. Are willing to come before the Lord as a sinner? Listen to how the Claim of Christ can be on our hearts and our lives. Listen and hear more about the Lord’s cutting words for us! Hear more and Follow Him!
Jesus Calling the Levi Tax Collector: Spanish Painter: Pareja: 1861
Because the claim of Christ cut through everything else that Levi was committed to in his life. Jesus’ Words pierced him, between sole and body. Its wasn’t easy to drop everything and Follow Him. Jesus called him out of his job. Jesus called him out of what he thought his life was in this world.
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Follow Me!
