Called from the Tax Booth to the Table

Where We Are

It is Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time, and we honor the memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot, the father of Christian monasticism. In 1 Samuel, Saul is anointed as Israel's first king, a handsome young man from the tribe of Benjamin. In Mark's Gospel, Jesus calls Matthew (Levi) from his tax booth and then dines with sinners, provoking the Pharisees and revealing the heart of his mission.

The Word

In 1 Samuel, Saul, a tall and handsome Benjaminite, is searching for his father's lost donkeys when he encounters Samuel. The Lord has already told Samuel that this is the man he should anoint as commander over Israel. Samuel anoints Saul privately, telling him God has chosen him to save his people. In the Gospel, Jesus walks past the customs post and sees Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax collector booth. He says simply, "Follow me." Levi rises and follows. Later, Jesus reclines at table with many tax collectors and sinners. When the Pharisees challenge his disciples, Jesus responds, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

Continue Reading

Sign in to read the full devotional and receive it in your inbox each morning - a quiet moment of reflection to start your day.

Send me the daily devotional by email each morning

By signing in, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Reflect

The contrast between today's two callings is instructive. Saul is chosen for his appearance: he is taller than anyone else in Israel, an impressive figure who looks the part of a king. Levi is chosen despite his appearance: tax collectors were despised collaborators with Rome, seen as traitors to their own people. God's criteria for calling have shifted dramatically. What matters is not how a person looks but how they respond.

Levi's response mirrors that of Simon and Andrew: immediate, total, and costly. Leaving a fishing boat was one thing; leaving a lucrative tax booth was another. Tax collectors were wealthy, and Levi walked away from guaranteed income to follow an itinerant preacher with no salary.

But the most radical moment comes at the dinner table. In the ancient world, sharing a meal was a declaration of kinship and acceptance. By eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus was not just being friendly; he was making a theological statement. God's mercy is not rationed to the respectable. It is offered precisely to those who know they need it.

Saint Anthony, whom we honor today, took Jesus's call to radical simplicity literally. He gave away his possessions and retreated to the desert, seeking God in solitude. His example reminds us that following Jesus always involves letting go of something comfortable in order to find something infinitely better.

Living It

Jesus saw Levi at his tax booth, in the middle of ordinary, compromised work, and called him. Pay attention to where God might be calling you from your own "tax booth" today: a routine, a comfort zone, or a compromised situation.

Who are the "sinners" at your table? Are there people in your circle that others look down on? Follow Jesus's example: share a meal, a conversation, or your time with someone the world considers unworthy. The dinner table is a place of radical grace.

Saint Anthony found God in simplicity. Choose one small act of simplification today: clear a cluttered space, fast from social media for an hour, or give something away. Create room for God to speak.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you looked at Levi in his mess and saw a disciple. You sat at a table with sinners and called it the Kingdom. Forgive us for the ways we ration your grace, offering it to those we deem worthy and withholding it from those we judge. Give us Anthony's courage to simplify our lives and Levi's readiness to rise when you call. Make our tables places of welcome, where no one is turned away. Amen.