The Call of Levi
27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me.”
27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me.”
28 So, leaving everything behind, he got up and began to follow him.
29 Then Levi hosted a grand banquet for him at his house. Now there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining at the table with them.
30 But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus replied to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick.
32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Commentary
What we can learn from this passage:
- God had worked something in Levi's (Matthew in Hebrew) heart that would make him believe in Jesus and then give up everything and follow Him. V.27, 28 indicates that Levi did not hesitate or consider ramifications of his choice, but simply "got up and began to follow him."
- Tax collectors had a bad reputation for good reason. They were employed by the Roman Empire to extract money from the Jewish peoples. They were often unscrupulous, double-taxing the Jews and keeping some of the money for themselves. That Jesus would call someone with such a background into his ministry instead of calling an upstanding scholar of the Torah indicates Jesus' purpose to come and save the lost.
- Upon Levi following Jesus, Jesus then went to a dinner among other tax collectors. At every opportunity, Jesus surrounded himself with the most spiritually-needy people. V. 31 indicates Jesus purpose behind this.
- We ought to pray for courage and opportunity to follow Jesus in His example and proclaim the Good News (in gentle fashion) to spiritually-needy people.
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