…As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs post. Jesus said to him, "Follow me"… (Mk 2:13-17).
God is good, all the time.
Friends, today's gospel repeats the call of Levi, whose other name is Matthew. Mark and Luke call him Levi. However, he writes in his gospel, "As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. "Follow Me," He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him" (Matt 9:9).
Matthew (Mattathias in Hebrew) means "Jehovah's gift." His surname, Levi, which means "joining," was known publicly because of his trade as a tax collector working for the Romans. However, he realized how Jesus was willing to let the gift of God in him shine again. God’s gift in us never changes. Like gold or silver, it may lose its brightness because of weakness, but it is there. That is why we all need Jesus to bring the gift of God to shine in us.
By calling Matthew, Jesus shockingly rebutted public opinion about people like Matthew and revealing how a fountain of sympathy and love that we show to others can melt souls that are frozen hard by the icy winter storm of scorn, disrespect, and rejection. Jesus makes a significant claim that he is the authentic physician of the body and soul, a designation that puts all men and women within his mission. He says, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."
Matthew's immediate response to the call to follow Jesus indicates his willingness to join Jesus to bring the gift of God he has received to others. When Jesus says follow me, he is not only exerting his authority as one who saves, but he is also asking us to be like him. We are all God’s gifts, and it is essential that we remain so to one another.