Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot
Where are you has only become an everyday question in our modern technological era. For thousands of years you couldn’t communicate with someone without first know where they are. But now I can communicate with nearly anyone without the faintest clue where they are. That is not to say that the question was non-existent in the past. If you were shouting to someone who was lost in the woods or a large building it would make perfect sense. It also was a deeply spiritual question as you implored the Invisible God for some concrete sign that He was near. Today, though, I want to turn that question towards us as we look at the gospel passage.
There are many players in today’s gospel. To list them, we find the crowd, Levi, tax collectors and sinners, disciples, and scribes. All of them have a place relative to Jesus.
The crowd is following Him. They seek His teachings and whatever else He has to offer, yet they are not called disciples. There is some kind of distance that obscures who they are as they fade into the backdrop of the monolithic crowd. Is that where you are? Is Jesus more about what He gives than who He is?
Levi is drawing near to Him. He has gone from stationary to mobile. He is in motion because he has heard the call and can either draw near to the one who drew near to him, or stay where he was and grow ever more distant. Are you drawing near? Have you heard the call and been faced with the moment of truth to pursue Christ?
The tax collectors and sinners are at table with Jesus. They have welcomed Him into their circle enough for him to share in their gathering and meal. While they are still identified as tax collectors and sinners it is clear that they are open to Christ’s presence, and likely have no idea the impact that He is going to have in their lives. Is this where you are? Are you neither chasing the gifts like the crowd nor pursuing the person like Levi, but maybe just beginning to be open to Christ’s presence?
Then there are the disciples. They have entered into an intimate relationship with Jesus. They are seen as so close to Him that the scribes ask them about Christ’s behavior, as if they are expected to be able to speak for Him. They recognize His wisdom and so follow Him not just to learn His arguments and positions, but to imitate His life. St. Anthony once told two ‘wisdom seekers’ who were more interested in his words about Christianity than Christianity, “If you think me wise, become what I am, for we ought to imitate the good. Had I gone to you, I should have imitated you, but, since you have come to me, become what I am, for I am a Christian." Are you where the disciples are? Are you in the school of discipleship, seeking to be so shaped by Christ so as to be like Him?
Finally, the scribes stand at the fringes. They are close enough to see what is happening and to be overheard as they speak to others. But they are not there for the gifts that Christ can offer, to draw near to Him, nor to imitate Him. They are not open to His presence, rather they seek to prove why they don’t need Him. Are you there? Are you on the fringe listening to and watching Christ critically in order confirm your own self-sufficiency? Are you on the edge because you don’t think you need Him?
You might not have the answers to these questions right now, and that is ok. But maybe today you can open your heart to the Lord and ask Him where you are. For as Hebrews tells us today, “No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.” And when He puts it on your heart where you are, ask Him again where He wants you to be and then, “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.” For I guarantee that the Lord will not call you to a place that He does not intend to help you reach.
-Spencer Hargadon