"FOLLOW ME!"

Luke 5:27-32        (KJV)
"27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

I recently watched a documentary on the life of JESUS was on a television channel.  As I was watching it, they showed JESUS calling Levi, the publican (otherwise known as a tax collector), to "FOLLOW ME".  Levi soon became known as the Apostle Matthew.  It unclear who changed his name, but rather certain WHO changed his life!

One commentator says:

By surface appearances, it was scandalous and offensive for Jesus to pick a tax collector as one of his closest followers, since they were widely hated by the Jews. Yet of the four Gospel writers, Matthew presented Jesus to the Jews as their hoped-for Messiah, tailoring his account to answer their questions.Matthew displayed one of the most radically changed lives in the Bible in response to an invitation from Jesus. He did not hesitate, he did not look back. He left behind a life of wealth and security for poverty and uncertainty. He abandoned the pleasures of this world for the promise of eternal life.

Two things grab my attention in this passage.   In verse 28, scripture records "he left all, rose up, and followed him."  Matthew, formerly known as Levi, was a tax collector, which meant he was not thought of by most Jews.  Nobody likes paying taxes, and tax collectors were mostly thought to be corrupt, money hungry, leeches who had the authority of the Roman Government behind the.  Matthew "left all" of his political position and wealth producing status to follow a radical carpenter from Galilee.   What was he thinking???

Then in verse 32, JESUS says, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."  This bold statement to the scribes and Pharisees should enlighten us all to whom JESUS is searching to be part of HIS kingdom.  GOD is not interested in who we are socially, or what status we have acquired politically, or how much money we can put in the offering plate on Sunday.

The call of JESUS to the disciples was to "FOLLOW ME"!   The ministry of JESUS lasted a little over three years.  Then, the establishment Jews sacrificed HIM. How many would follow someone who was heading to an apparent early grave?  How many would give up wealth and security for poverty and uncertainty?  The call to "FOLLOW ME" is not something most will answer in today's culture.

You get to choose. You can be accepted by society and it's standards, or you can "FOLLOW ME" and sacrifice your life to serve others?  Eternity is a long time.  Make your choices wisely!