11. Jesus calls Levi (Mark 2:13-17)

When Jesus saw the tax collector Levi at a tax office in Capernaum, those with Jesus expected him to turn away from such a man in disdain. There were undoubtedly gasps in the crowd, however, when Jesus approached the office, fixed his gaze on one of the chief agents of Rome's oppressive tax gatherers, and said, 'Follow me.' In this simple act, Jesus established the principle of genuine Christian conscience, that no person, regardless of social station, is exempt from the reach of grace. Levi heeded the call, and became one of the most prominent and beloved of the apostles, so much so that the first book of the New Testament was in all probability written by this unlikely convert.