1 Sam 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1 / Mark 2:13-17
To be the first in anything is indeed a great achievement.
It is not just a rank or a position. It is also foundational and directional.
For example, to be the first president of a country, or the first foreigner to be to acclaimed for an achievement, or the first intake into an elite school, all this say something more than what it means to be just first.
In the 1st reading, we heard how Samuel anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel.
For whatever foundations and directions he set in his kingship, for better or for worse, he will always be remembered as the first king of Israel.
Yet whenever we talk about "first" we tend to think of those in the spot-light, the elite and those who make the headlines.
Yet who were the first followers of Jesus? None other than people like Levi whom He called to follow Him.
As well as those tax collectors and sinners, and the gospel makes it a point to say that there were many of them among His followers.
So most of them were not named in the gospel but they set for us a foundation and a direction.
We don't have to be great achievers in order to follow Jesus; we just have to confess that we are sinners.
After all Jesus did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.