Follow Me

It's days like today that make me so glad that I am blessed to be living in Maine.  It's the first week of November, 40 degrees Fahrenheit, some leaves still on the trees, not raining, but mostly cloudy.  Hoping to got for a ride on the motorcycle or a walk.  Some of my friends out hunting. 

Though we have lost our house we are blessed and well established in our mobile home and looking forward to early next year when the house is completed.  And then I read this verse from Luke.

Luke 5:27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.

When confronted by the thought of leaving everything to follow Jesus, what is my first reaction.  Its to think of what I would be leaving.  My home, my bed, my family, my friends, etc..   Is that the point of this verse.  We have to note that Levi was a tax collector.  Remember that Israel is  an occupied country.  At this time in Israel a tax collector was considered a legal criminal.   He was protected by Rome and did their dirty work in the eyes of the Israelites. 

When asked to follow Jesus, Levi left his old life.  He turned his back on sin, on his old selfish desires, his old goals, his old occupation and set his sights on following Jesus.  In Levi's case this meant also going physically where Jesus went.  He became one of the 12 apostles.

But I think the main idea we need to take away from this is not what does it mean to leave everything and follow Jesus.  It means to leave behind our old selves, our old desires, our selfishness and the goals of where we were heading.  We are leaving everything about us.  This is about looking forward to see where we are going.  Where are we going?  We are going Jesus way.   We are following Him.  Our desire now becomes to be more like Him.  To follow his commands.

Mt 22:36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’