"...Levi got up, left everything and followed him."
It's a miracle, truly a miracle. I know we are often mesmerized by the water Jesus turns into wine, the thousands he feeds with very little, the dramatic healings, and Lazarus called out from the tomb. Without a doubt, those are spectacular. However, there is a miracle that I feel is often neglected in the story of Jesus, the miracle of "YES." Early in the story, Jesus is in search of some traveling companions, those that would commit to a journey of placing their feet wherever Jesus makes tracks in the sand. We learn quickly that Jesus doesn't often call the usual suspects, the power brokers, the religious professionals, or the ethically spotless. He calls misfits just like us.
In these stories, it says they "left everything and followed him." Right there! That's a miracle. Anytime a misfit leaves behind "everything" in purposeful commitment to Jesus something extraordinary has occurred. In our lives "everything" is captivating, alluring, often tethering us to the comfort of status quo in our lives. There is a seeming security in our "everything." To follow Jesus is to make the conscious decision to leave behind what I've known, who I've been, what I have, and what I've done. This departure is nothing short of a miracle.
What I've Known: Each of us have grown up throughout life with a set of beliefs about the "way things are in this world." We've inherited these from our upbringing, from the voices of authority in our lives, our experience, our prejudices, etc. However, to follow Jesus is to say "Yes" to learning to see the world how God sees it and not how I assume it should be. Leaving behind what we know can feel at first extremely disorienting, as though the haze has been lifted and for the first time we glimpse the world, our place in the world, and the people around us in a new way.
Who I've Been: Each of us have had identities constructed for us. In the story, Peter was a fisherman. Levi was a tax collector. With the assignment of these identities carries certain expectations and beliefs about potential, value, and promise. However, in following Jesus we quickly come to discover that the ways in which I've seen myself and the ways others have constructed my identity often have little to do with how Jesus sees me. When we commit to following Jesus we are leaving behind what I've known ourselves to be and stepping into who God calls us to be. This departure can feel as though part of us has died. That's true! The old identities have passed away and all things have been made new.
What I Have: Our possessions are often shackles that bind us to the status quo. Many potential traveling companions of Jesus have missed the call because they couldn't bring themselves to tear away from the tyranny of accumulation. When Peter is called by Jesus he drops the net that he'd fished with and earned his living. For some of us, that's easy, a net, no big deal. However, when Levi (Matthew) is called he leaves behind a table full of tax money, much of which he'd skimmed off the top for himself. He'd left behind the false security of his possessions. Following Jesus will often require us to travel light. It's not that we don't have stuff, it's just that our stuff doesn't have us.
What I've Done: Status quo is maintained through the rote performance of what I've always done and how I've always done it. We've learned habits in the ways in which we conduct ourselves, what has been acceptable, and the ways in which we've justified our treatment of others. To follow Jesus is to commit to a path of unlearning certain behaviors and actions and relearning those practices that most faithfully adhere to Jesus' pattern for life in this world.
As you can see, the journey into "Yes" means we leave a lot behind. Though painful at first, we come to discover that in "leaving everything" we actually gain so much more.
Have you had a miracle?
