The call of Levi
| 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, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed 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'?" 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." (Luke5:27-32) |
The story of Levi in point form is as follows:
- Levi is a tax-collector: He was considered a "sellout" to the Romans, unclean for handling Roman coinage which had graven images on them and dishonest for keeping some of the tax for himself. He was despised by mainstream Israelite society.
- Jesus called him and he left everything. He left his way of life, his means of income, his grip on those whom he extracted tax from and his reason for existence. (Did you notice that Luke introduced him as a "tax-collector by the name of Levi" rather than "Levi who was a tax-collector"?)
- Jesus' call has such an impact of Levi that he spends money from his now finite pool of money on a "great banquet" for people on the rejected fringe of society. He wants people to discover the acceptance that he did when Jesus called him. He wants them to meet Jesus and so he does the best that he can - he opens his home, his piggy-bank, his privacy and himself to people who, like himself, need Jesus.
- The Pharisees are quick to criticise. They treat Jesus' behaviour as "fraternising with the enemy" but Jesus sees no enemies here. He sees people who need his love.
That's the summary. Now let's pause again at the key-moment.
What do tax-collectors and warm-hearted hospitality have in common?
Not much...
Until Jesus enters the picture.
Then we see a new Levi
- opening himself up to ridicule with the Pharisees
- opening his home, his heart and his piggy bank to others
- opening his life and story to others.
I can just seem him beaming as his guests arrive:
"There's Someone I would love you to meet!!"
What about us?
When last did we open our hearts,homes and lives to others in the hope that they'd meet to One who has changed our lives?
