Luke 5:27-31

Verse 27 - Luke 5: 27 - After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him,

There is not a great deal that we know about Levi except what we learn here. Mark adds that he was the son of Alphaeus. Matthew calls him, “Matthew,” thus identifying himself. Mark does the same. We know that he became an apostle. We also know that James was also called the “son of Alphaeus.” Matthew was a tax collector. Rome auctioned off tax territories to various individuals. The tax-collectors would then gather the amount they had bid. After that, any money that was left over was their profit. There was a great deal of room for abuse in this system and most abused it Many tax collectors became rich by cheating and coercing people. Tax-collectors were considered to be so dishonest that they could not testify in courts of law. They were also considered to be traitors to Israel. This was the sort of man that Jesus zeroed in on that particular day and said, “Follow me.”

q Who are some people (and professions) that our society looks down upon these days and considers to be dishonest and unlikely to follow Jesus?

q Are you ever surprised when Jesus calls and uses certain people?

q Have you been surprised by the testimony of any “public” people lately?

q How can we avoid discounting or disqualifying anyone for kingdom service?

Verse 27 - 28 - and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.

There was such immediacy to Levi’s response. No hesitation is noted or recorded. No questions are asked and no price is spared. Levi leaves it all and that includes a very lucrative profession. One wonders what sort of experiences, teachings, or thoughts had prepared him for this moment. God is working behind the scenes in people’s lives in ways that may not be readily apparent. He is creating memories, frames of reference, and connecting points that lie dormant until the time when someone comes along and issues the call of Jesus to follow. We may be surprised at their receptive responses, but it is likely that they did not come to the point of receptivity over night. What is of most importance is that we, who know the Master, be as eager and ready to respond to His call as this tax collector was.

q Have you ever witnesses what seemed to be a “sudden conversion” in a person’s life? When? What was your response?

q Has Jesus ever called you to make a sudden change in your living circumstances in order to answer a call? Tell us about it.

q What would it be like to receive such a call today? Could you leave everything and follow Him?

29 - Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 - But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

Leaving everything apparently did not leave Levi homeless, but it meant that His home was now a place where he could invite all of his friends to meet Jesus. He filled his house with former business associates and other people of bad reputation. It was no doubt an unscrupulous, loud, and perhaps, vulgar company of people and Jesus was among them He did not compromise anything of His character by keeping company with this lot. He maintained His dignity, but He also bestowed dignity upon these who had become outcasts of religious society – just by His presence and acceptance of them as people of value. The religious contingent that had been stalking Him was incensed. Their impression of holy people was that they kept themselves removed from sinners. This was not the pattern of Jesus and it is not the pattern He has for us.

Note: It is important to consider the company we keep. This example does not negate the need for people to break old behavior patterns by breaking off certain old associations. What it does say, that the church cannot be the salt of the earth and the light of the world by removing itself from all contact with people. Jesus set the example by spending time with sinners.

q There was a controversy about Jesus’ behavior. Do we have similar controversies in the church today?

q What are some ways that people can follow Jesus example today without engaging in sinful or destructive behavior?

31 - Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 - I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Here we have Jesus’ rationale for His behavior and for our ministries. We are not called to spend so much time with fellow believers that we have no time at all for non-believers. Jesus was intentional about His association with people who needed to receive His message. He communicated His love for them first with His presence. Can we do any less?

How can we be more intentional about spending time with non-believers?

Practical Applications

q Name one or two people who do not know but need to know Jesus with whom you will seek to cultivate a relationship. OR ->

q If you cannot name such people, where will you find them and what will be your plan for making friends with people who need the Lord?

q How can you cultivate deeds of service that will give you this opportunity?

q Pray specifically for each other in support of these goals.