Traitors and Porn Stars

In Mark 2.13 Jesus calls Levi to follow him. That wouldn't be particularly interesting but for the fact that Levi was a Jewish tax collector. Jesus was well-known for eating with sinners and tax collectors; it is well attested both biblically (found repeatedly in all three Synoptic Gospels) and in other, extra-biblical sources like Josephus. It's also fairly well-known that in so doing Jesus made the statement that they were his people, equal to him and accepted by him in every sense.

Likewise, it's fairly common knowledge that these were the worst people possible to a 1st century Jew. They were traitors in one case, porn stars on the other. In those two groups you have both a betrayal of the deepest nationalist and religious sensibilities (as if there were a difference at the time) and the lowest sort of moral degradation conceivable; and Jesus accepts them as equals. Certainly that's shocking enough, but in this case Jesus calls Levi to his inner circle, the disciples who would represent the new Israel, who would do by following Christ what Israel did not do under the Law. This is beyond shocking. This is Robert Hanssen, infamous FBI traitor, on the board of elders. This is Jenna Jameson (don't look that up) serving on staff as the Kids' Pastor.

Now with Levi, called to be one of the Twelve, we have someone who by necessity leaves behind his former vocation; he is not both disciple and tax collector at the same time. But then, Jesus called all of the Twelve to leave behind what they were and accept "disciple" as their primary identity. Tax collector or fisherman, traitor or porn star, all are accepted on an equal basis: they recognize Jesus for who he is and then re-organize their priorities around him. It doesn't matter who they are or what they've done.

Follow me. Leave your agenda and take me for mine. That's all Jesus ever asks of anyone.