Luke 5:27-32

Jesus had a slight confrontation with the scribes and Pharisees concerning Jesus’ claim to be able to forgive sins (5:20-24) and this was terribly offensive to the religious leaders because, in their opinion, the forgiveness of sin was only reserved for God alone. Ultimately, these men did not want to receive Jesus as the Messiah so they spent much of their efforts trying to silence Jesus and eventually they would be responsible for His death on the cross. When Jesus departed from the house where He had healed the paralyzed man and answered the religious leaders’ objections, He met a man named Levi who was a tax collector (5:27a). Tax collectors were hated by most common people because they often charged more money than was owed so that they could keep some for themselves while giving the rest to Rome. Men who were tax collectors were literally seen as outcasts and thieves in society, although they were often wealthy. It is significant that Jesus sees Levi sitting in the tax office and says “follow Me” (5:27b). Even though Jesus’ words are few, the implications of His request reached far beyond the surface. If Levi chose to follow Jesus, that would mean he would be abandoning his lifestyle as a thief and committing to living life God’s way. Luke writes that Levi “left all, rose up, and followed Him” (5:28).

In response to his life change, Levi holds a “great feast in his own house” and invites his tax collector friends as well as many other people, including Jesus and His disciples (5:29). The scribes and Pharisees were close to the action and grumbled against Jesus’ disciples because they were eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners (5:30). In the opinion of the religious leaders, any association with outcasts or sinners was forbidden because they were viewed as unworthy of man’s, much less God’s attention. Jesus responds to the scribes and Pharisees with, what I believe to be, one of the most significant and revealing statements about the failure of the religious leaders. Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (5:31-32). The so-called religious leaders of Jesus’ day thought that their rules and obedience to traditions brought them favor with God when, in reality, God only extends His forgiveness to those who know they cannot earn it on their own. Jesus made it clear that He had come in order to offer forgiveness to those who recognize their sinfulness, not those who already think they are righteous. According to Jesus’ statement here, a person has no chance of receiving God’s mercy until he first recognizes that he is utterly sinful before a holy and righteous God. It seems obvious that Jesus would spend His time with people who knew they needed forgiveness rather than waste His time with people who believed that they already had all the answers to life.

Dear God, give me a heart like Jesus to reach out to those who need hope and salvation from sin.