The Carpenter's Nail

Matthew 5:20–26 Jesus said, “I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”

In today’s gospel reading in Mark, Jesus is walking alongside a lake teaching to a crowd. People are attracted to Him and are following Him. We find that He is not only interested in those who seek Him, but also, He seeks out the sinners who feel unworthy of being in His presence.  

      One such sinner is Levi. Levi is a tax collector and among his fellow Jews, he is thought of as being in the same category as thieves and murderers. Somehow, Jesus sees in Levi something the rest of the world does not see. As a tax collector, Levi has the power of the Roman government behind him. The Jewish people fear him. He is wealthy and has many luxuries available to him. In their encounter, Jesus  offers Levi hope in leading a new way of life. Levi gives up his privileged lifestyle to follow Jesus.  

     Jesus is on a mission to bring the good news to all people. No longer will sinners be condemned forever. His grace will lift them up.  

     At the end of the reading, Jesus tells the people that you cannot patch an old garment with new fabric or put new wine in old wineskins. He is telling them that the way they had been following God is changing. Some of the interpretations of the Old Testament by leaders were wrong and would not work with the new message that He is bringing to them.  Levi is a great example of living by this new message. He leaves everything he has in the past to follow, in faith, a new way. In this Lenten season, we are called to examine our lives and leave some things behind to better follow Jesus in a new way.  

• Dan Koruna