By Pastor Jay Perkins
Mark 2:13,14
13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi (Matthew) the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
Having had my car stolen at knifepoint two weeks earlier, I was shattered inside. Nothing comforted the depth of pain and fear inside of me. I was 26 years old, and I honestly don’t think I had ever experienced genuine fear before. At least not like this. And I had never felt so alone in my life. My parents were over a thousand miles away. I had great friends, but they couldn’t come close to understanding the depth of my pain. I couldn’t blame them because neither could I. But it all left me feeling alone and broken.
But it was then, out of desperation, that I gave my life to Jesus Christ. And He healed me of my brokenness. And the truth is, while I have experienced more brokenness in my life, I have never been alone again!
In reading Mark chapter 2, the story of Matthew grips my attention. Mark 2:13,14 says,
13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi (Matthew) the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
What struck me in reading these verses is that Jesus never lets the crowd keep Him from seeing the one. Matthew was alone. Tax Collectors were reviled because they were so corrupt. He was sin-filled and without hope. And in spite of the crowd, Jesus noticed Matthew and called him to Himself.
When I was broken and alone, Jesus noticed me too. I’d imagine there were at least hundreds of thousands of people who went to church that week. There were thousands of people who followed Jesus passionately that week. But Jesus didn’t let the crowd keep Him from seeing me. He never does. And when He reached out to me in my brokenness, after much resisting, I finally said “Yes”. And I have never been alone again.
If you ever feel alone or broken, you can know Jesus sees you. He never lets the crowd keep Him from seeing the one. Say “Yes” to Jesus! He will heal your present brokenness, and He will never leave you or forsake you. You will never be alone again!
