Far be it for me to start threads, but I felt that this was a gospel reading that could use some reflection and comment.

At that time, Jesus went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he left everything, and rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:27-32

I look forward to your insights.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

And he left everything, and rose and followed him.

Quite a contrast to the other Gospel story of the rich young man who, when asked to do the same thing in order to be perfect, went away sad. Tax collectors were reputed to be very rich men because they were allowed to keep anything they extorted from the people beyond what they were required to remit to Rome. So here is a great example of pure faith. It pulls at each of us because few of us have made such a sacrifice in following Christ. I know that I haven't and I often wonder when I examine my conscience whether the passage that refers to those who love father, mother, spouse, etc., more than Christ are worthy of Him is a condemnation of my own poor efforts.
____________________________________________
And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
_____________________________________________

To eat and drink is to take nourishment. Symbolically it seems to mean also that we take not only physical nourishment from actual food, but we also are nourished--edified--by the people around us, not only when we actually eat, but also with those we associate with. (Reminds me of something someone once told me about being judged by those I associate with.)

Jesus came looking for the broken, the needy, those without adequate nourishment--spiritually. Remember how He criticized the religious establishment for burdening people and doing nothing to lift their burdens. People were then, and are now, in dire need of what He offers: healing, mercy, unconditional love, lifting up those cast down, making the marginalized part of the mainstream. He came looking for those who were humble enough to admit that they were in need--in need of a Savior; in need of God and His mercy.

It seems to me to say that we should not be afraid to befriend the outcasts, those with terrible illnesses, or those who have been made a pariah by the community. It seems to men that we've sometimes got to face down the whole world to befriend and defend another, even when he might be accused of some terrible thing. Beyond the act is one that God has made and who might yet be saved. We've got to be His living icons to reflect Him and His great mercy here where we are placed in this world and in this time in history.

On another tangent, it's interesting when one considers how many religious leaders are quick today to make themselves part of the "movers and shakers" of the world, hobnobbing with politicians, the wealthy, the social upper crust. I wonder if they would be as uncomfortable with Jesus Christ as the religious leaders of His day were with Him. (Please don't read this as a condemnation of any or all religious leaders; not all fit this pattern.)

The irony here is that anyone who is human and who also claims to be "well" is either deluding himself about his own perfection or is too closed to be able to grow in the very holiness that Christ brings us. St. Gregory of Nyssa made a very compelling argument that the path of Christian perfection is actually a path of perfecting--an ongoing process--rather than a static experience as pagan religions and philosophies held in his day. So, veiled in this passage is the idea that the Lord is coming looking for the living--those who can yet admit that they are not a finished product, that they can learn and grow from that learning. He is not looking for the dead--by a definition I once heard--those who cannot learn and grow from that new learning.

Just my two cents this afternoon.

In Christ,

BOB

I relate this phrase to today.

I relate it to those who become threatened by the Christian love and action of others which they cannot understand.

I relate this to gossip and wanting to find fault in some way with someone.

I think that although casual discussion about others in sometimes inevitable, that we really shouldn't get bent out of shape over what others do, for it is not for us to judge, but to love and be compassionate--for who among us does not sin?

Alice,
who doesn't know if this makes sense

After re-reading the above scripture, I wondered:

The Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples ... it does not then say they answered, but that Christ answered for them.

I should think that when remarks are made against us, we should be silent (even if we know we are doing right) and let God answer (in His own time/in His own way).

Oh, brilliant, Rose2! Excellent thought!

Gaudior, in agreement

Rose2 wrote
The Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples ... it does not then say they answered, but that Christ answered for them.

That is so true. Many years ago my husbands business got tied up in a law suit, a very unjust one the guy was just out for money. For many reasons, one being we were no longer living in that state, our attorneys here put us into bankruptsy to stop the law suit. Which we still paid off all of our dept just not that persons.

When my husband told, I was just shocked that we had to do that. I told the Lord that I knew it was not his way. Suddenly, out of nowhere, as if our Heavenly Father reached down and touched the very top of my head, a peace flowed through me. I litterly felt it flow from the top of my head to my toes. And I heard the Lord say, "fear not, for I tell you vingence is mine."

Would you believe some years back that man lost all of his stuff to the IRS for income tax evasion.

"Follow me." And he left everything, and rose and followed him. We rose and followed the Lord here, from Steubenville, OH to Irondale, AL, it was clearly a door that he opened for us and we had to walk through. He told us not to bring anything with us. All we brought were some clothes, a few antique peices from our families, and the kids beds - felt they needed that comfort. Do you know the Lord more than multiplied everything back to us. And he met every need we had as far as Church, household needs, furniture and employment. It was all waiting for us when we got here.

So don't be afraid! Say YES!!!

[QUOTE][QB]
At that time, Jesus went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he left everything, and rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:27-32

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Levi was another name for the disciple of Jesus, Matthew, who we believe is the author of the Gospel of Matthew. Surely the good talents like record keeping and attention to detail of St. Matthew, this sinner turned follower, were given new purpose as a result of his encounter with Jesus.

Not only that but because Matthew made a "great feast" in his house other tax collectors and sinners got to keep company with Jesus.

I am also reminded of the story in Luke 19 about Zacchaeus, the Tax Collector. In that story Zacchaeus, who BTW was the "chief" tax collector and also a wealthy man; because he was short and couldn't see--climbed up in a tree as Jesus passed by. Jesus saw him and said, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly for today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly and received him with joy." [Luke 19:5-6] In this situation we read that again others "began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." [Luke 19:7]

After that Zacchaeus gives half of his possessions to the poor and promises to pay back any extortions four times over. "And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house...For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost." [Luke 19:10]

Like the tax collectors in these stories Jesus wants us to follow him, invite other sinners to meet him, and use our talents in serving God and others and finally...

Jesus even wants to have supper with us and stay at our house. \o/

Porter...thanking God for his mercy on all of us sinners.

AMEN Porter!

Fr. Frank was very strong in his homily yesterday and Jesus wanting to touch us. He pointed out that he touched the cot of the son that had died and not the person - doing so that they could not say it was any form of magic. Anyway he went on to say that God wants to touch us. That he calls us to his house to sup with him, that the altar is our final destiny - before the throne of Christ, and he calls us there to touch us.

Then Fr. Frank - in his Pennsylvainia brog - says whats wrong with 'yous' don't you want him to touch you?

That is what this Scripture is about, Jesus touching each one of our lives and making us whole in and through his love. For he says without love we are clanging cymbols and in his love we are free. That is what he did for the tax colletors, he set them free, so that they to might love. Paul is the best example we have of a man turning from the sins of a tax collector and loving man through God, because he loved him first.

Pani Rose

It has always fascinated me that the gospels display three stages of “follow me”. And three stages to the ‘coming’ of Christ.

Let me see if I remember correctly.

The progression in the gospels is this…

Over the span of his public life - Jesus first - let himself be recognized as a prophet. Next he let himself be recognized as that singular prophet called the messiah. And lastly he spoke of himself as the Son of God - and God Yahweh himself.

This progression can also be seen in the answers that the disciples gave when Jesus asked them “Who do men say that I am?” and they answered that the people believed Jesus to be a prophet. Then Jesus asked his disciples “And who do you say that I am?” and Peter spoke for the apostles as he was their chief (representing them to Jesus - and Jesus to them) and so he answered for them … “The messiah” … and then added with a rush - what Peter himself alone had received “and the Son of the living God”.

Prophet
Messiah
Son of God.

Of the four gospels … there is also this progression. For Matthew presents Jesus as - the legitimate King of Israel (that is the point of his royal genealogy - to show Jesus as the legitimately Son of David and therefore the only candidate to the throne of Israel) and Matthew displays Jesus‘ authority over men. Mark (Peter’s gospel) display Jesus as one who has authority over spirits - and as such displays him as equal to a prophet. Luke - begins his gospel with the nativity - and by that sets the tone of his gospels which displays Jesus as the Son of God - born of God.

It is certainly curious - that Jesus reveal himself in stages. Three stages.

There are also three stages when Jesus invited to “follow me.”

THE FIRST INVITATION…
“Follow me.”

In the first stage Jesus invites a simple “follow me” and this is the wide invitation. It does not require one to believe that Jesus is any more than - a good and wise man. The Jews may follow Jesus as a good man. The Buddhist may follow Jesus as a spiritual enlightened man. And the atheist may follow Jesus as a wise man. This first invitation is to a moral life. We need do nothing further than follow the guidance of the Jesus of the gospels.

Jesus extended this invitation to - every one.

THE SECOND INVITATION…
“Give away all you have - and follow me”.

In this second state - we are invited to throw our self-providence into the hands of Providence. We might do that by physically giving away all that we own - and trusting that God’s Providence will supply us with what we really need. St. Francis did just that. But eventually - God will turn that upside down - and his intention is that we detach spiritually - from what we own. It is all lent to us for our use. All that we have is lent to us so that we would use it (like the coin which is to earn interest) for the good of others that God will bring to us. What we have - is not our - it still belongs to Providence - and we may use it in the services of Providence as God goes about his business of forming man into his own image.

Some men respond to this second and further invitation. Some dedicate themselves to a religious life … of poverty and charity. And parents dedicate their home to the care of children - seeing their home as the nest from which their children will someday fly. A home provided by God in which love has its home.

Jesus extended this invitation “Give away all you have …. and follow me.” to those who would be his disciples.

THE THIRD INVITATION…
“Pick up your cross… and follow me”.

This third invitation - was only extended to a few. It was not extended to the 150 or so disciples - but it was extended to his apostles. Only after one has accepted the first two invitations (to take Jesus as your guide … to throw yourself upon Providence…) can one accept the third and final invitation.

Pick UP - your cross - and follow me to your own death.

This is a hard thing. For death - alone - is useless. As useless as the child killed in a senseless auto accident - as useless as victims of earth quake or flood. Certainly God knows what he is doing and these people are being molded in ways only God understands and sees fit - but to us (without the wisdom of God) it all seems so useless. So tragic.

Only when one has - first - dedicated himself to following Jesus as his moral guide…

Only - second - when one has thrown himself on Providence and denied or ignored his own ways of self-providence…

Only - THEN - that even death - is at the hands of God - and that the death that Jesus is speaking about is a death to the man which we were so sure we were! So obsessed by our own self-providence - it is a death to the habitual man. The threat of death (in some way) was what kept us glued to our own self-providence … once we leave that - once we pass beyond it - the hold our animal nature has over us - dies - and we re-gain Eden - where all is Provided for us (all things and all events) as God sees fit for our own best good (forming us into his mysterious likeness).

Of - all - the letters written in the New Testament - the one which moves me the most - was Paul’s last. The one in which he writes that “All have left me.” He stands on trial before the Roman court. He makes his defense - alone. Of those who had stood with him - either they had left him (as the apostles had left Christ) or Providence had prevented them from being there. Paul must have seemed like - a mad man - to the Roman court. Intuitively - Paul feels what is coming. “I have run the good race” - it is over. It is closing. It is finishing. The finish line is just steps away.

“Blessed are they who hold out to my coming.”

And that - personal - coming - is now just breaths away.

Paul directs Timothy to “bring the documents” so that he might argue to the court - and show them - how Jesus was indeed promised to come and did come - and is the man that was crucified on the cross by Pilate.

But, seeming - so tragic … before Timothy arrives - Paul is condemned and led outside the city wall by the Praetorian guards - and beheaded. His last days and hours - all alone - except for the presences of his God.

“Pick up - your cross - and follow me.”

THIS invitation - given to so few - is only completed by fewer still. It is the highest place in heaven.

Pray to God that we are counted among these few. Death to self-providence - need not be accompanied by the same type of physical death. Paul’s own - was for us. A sign of ‘pick up your cross, hold out to the end … and follow me.” given for the benefit of the rest of us (those who would follow in years to come). Therefore the physical (the secondary) paralleled the primary (the spiritual death of self-providence). There are other ways to die to self before physical death. For this reason John calls death to self “the first death” and follows it with the “second death” which is physical death that will not harm those who have already died - to self-providence. The trick is - God must do it. Ascetics are 'practice' and is not the real thing. Providence must do the act - as with Moses who wrestled with the angel that was trying to kill him. God must set the stage - and (as with Jesus) be the true hand behind the act of our crucifixion. And that is why the angel (Christ himself) comes out to harm the grapes (wine) and wheat (bread) in Revelations. If you follow Jesus all the way - it is Jesus himself who will crucify you - and put to death in you - self-providence - that orginal sin.

What stage of "follow me" are we in?

What stage of "follow me" is the invitation extended toward us - now?

-ray