And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.--Mark 2:14 ESVNo one likes taxes. It is true that some people like them in principle, but even those people, I note, take advantage of every legal means they can to pay as little as possible in taxes when it actually comes down to it. And few people in our day will defend or feel sympathy for the IRS. But what I'm pointing out this morning is not intended to be political. Rather I want us to understand the attitude that the public in that day would have had toward someone like Levi. Their thoughts and feelings toward a tax collector would have been far more negative than even ours.
Levi wasn't collecting any taxes that were considered legitimate by the people from whom he collected them. He was collecting taxes for an occupying army. He was financing an illegitimate, puppet government of a foreign empire which had brutally treated his people. He was financing atrocities and horrific crimes against God. Whether or not it was actually sinful to pay these taxes was a controversial topic. Levi was a traitor to God and country.
Not only that but he was a scoundrel. Tax collecting was farmed out--contracted. They were allowed to collect whatever they wanted by any means necessary, provided they met their quota and paid it to the territorial government in a timely fashion. Anything they collected beyond that quota they kept. Tax collecting was a lucrative business.
This is a sermon I preached from this text on Sunday, February 19, 2017. The audio for the entire sermon is linked below. Just click to listen. What we learn about Christ from this episode is some of the best news you will ever hear.
Click here: Mark 2:13-17 - Jesus Calls Sinners
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