To follow THIS Jesus, THIS Way!?

Reflecting on Mark 2:13-17

“‘Follow me,’ Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.” (Mark 2:14)
As a Jesus follower, Jesus has called me to follow Him.
To follow means go on the same path as someone.
It involves joining, sticking close to, and imitating their way.
It was an invitation to become a disciple, to live WITH, LIKE and FOR them.

The way of Jesus was known by the people who saw and heard Him.
They saw Him with the sick and suffering, they saw Him in the temple.
They heard Him teach about God’s Way, and they saw Him following it.
They heard His warnings about greed and lust and pride and cruelty.
They heard His call to love everyone, including sinners and enemies.
Levi was present when Jesus was teaching; he heard and saw too.

Like him, other sinners and tax collectors heard and saw Him.
And they were attracted to Him, and to His teaching.
This is striking to me: sinners were attracted to Jesus and His teaching.
They wanted to be with Him, and He wanted to be with them.

These people knew how others saw them: as wicked, unworthy sinners.
They lived daily in the scorn and rejection of the religious!
The tax collectors especially felt the hatred of their own people.
Had they not been protected by Rome, they would have been beaten and killed.
Nobody came to their house to eat with them.
Nobody singled them out saying, ‘come I want you to be with me!’
Nobody… but Jesus.

Here is a test for our own way of following Jesus.
As those who follow the Jesus Way, are sinners attracted to us?
Are those scorned and rejected by religion drawn to be with us?
And are we drawn to be with them, eager to have them follow Jesus with us?
Do we eat with them, even if others accuse us of compromise or being unfaithful?
Jesus did not endorse greed, or lust, or cruelty, or pride.
But Jesus practiced grace, mercy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness.
And sinners were attracted to Him, and wanted to be like Him.
Could the same be said about me, as a follower of Jesus.

I cannot speak for how others feel about me.
But I am responsible for how I feel about others.
As a Jesus follower, I need to see others as Jesus sees them.
As God’s much-loved children in need of kindness and gracious love.
As those who need to be rescued, not condemned.
As brothers and sisters welcome at God’s grace table.
As sinners like you and me, and everyone else!

If I want to follow Jesus, I need to follow His Way.
His Way of seeing people, serving people, gracing people, loving people.
His Way of suffering for people, being criticized for loving sinners.
If we live this way, we may discover that people want to be with this Jesus.
Instead of converting them with fear and guilt, they will be won with love.

Following Jesus involves more than avoiding greed, lust, cruelty or pride.
It involves embracing grace, mercy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness.
Will I, like Levi, follow this Jesus, this Way???

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, You are looking at me and calling me to follow You on Your path, to live in Your Way. I am a sinner like everyone else, welcome at Your table, called to join with You in Your mission of gracious love. Everyone else is a sinner like me, welcome at Your table, called to join with You in Your mission of gracious love.

May those who encounter me sense Your gracious love through my imperfect ways, and may they be attracted to You, and to following Your Way!