Jesus Friend of Sinners

Jesus Calls Levi the Tax Collector

13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

In chapter 2 as Jesus continues his public ministry he starts drawing the ire of the Pharisees and other religious leaders.  They were threatened by the following Jesus was getting and started trying to trap Jesus by accusing him of violating Old Testament laws.  I love the story of Jesus calling Matthew the tax collector because it shows the true nature of the type of person Jesus was and what his mission on earth was all about.  I think the church can learn a lot from this story. 

First of all you probably know tax collectors were despised in Jewish society.  Not only did they work for the evil Roman empire, they extorted money out of people and charged extra so they could keep the overcharge for themselves.  So you can see why they were not so popular.  But this particular tax collector, Levi, also known as Matthew, followed Jesus when he called him.  It was that simple.  Matthew left the tax collecting business which was more lucrative than the fishing business the others left to follow Jesus. 

But then something interesting happens.  After meeting and following Jesus Matthew invites a lot of his tax collector friends and other "sinners" to his house.  Jesus goes to his house and enjoys dinner with them.  I love that about Jesus.  He was not "holier than thou".  He knew that everyone was a sinner, so he didn't spend time ranking and judging people.  In fact he saw the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who spent their time judging others, while having their own sinful heart and attitudes.  Jesus knows what is going on in these Pharisees hearts so when they question his disciples he says, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick.  I have come not to call the righteous but sinners."  

Jesus is not talking about physical sickness, he is talking about soul sickness, which comes from sin and being separated from God.  He knew he could only help those who were willing to admit they needed help.  The self righteous Pharisees were so busy pointing out the speck of dust in other's eyes they missed the "two by four" in their own. 

If the church wants to be in mission like Jesus, we better model this part of him.  We had better be going out and reaching those in our community that may be far from God, or considered the "sinners" of our day.  When we start thinking we are not "as bad as those people out there", we have become like the Pharisees.  So before you get too comfortable in your "holy huddle", consider hanging out with some sinners like yourself.  After all, Jesus did.