Luke 5:27-32
Engage
Levi : This is a Hebrew name and probably meant that this man was a descendent of Levi son of Jacob (Gen 35:23). This meant he was of the priestly tribe though he had not taken up that line of work.
Tax collectors : Rome taxed the countries it ruled in order to maintain its empire. It did this by employing chief collectors who had a set amount of money they had to bring for Rome. Anything above that, the collector was able to keep. These chiefs often employed local people to do the actual collecting and they worked on a similar pay scheme.
Tax occurred in various forms and tax collectors could stop you in the street and tax you on the type and amount of goods you were carrying. This made them very unpopular. For Jews the crime was twofold as the profession was seen as unjust and the fact they worked for Rome made them traitors.
Pharisees : The name comes from the Aramaic word for set apart or separated. the This group held various forms during their existence from political party to social movement.
The group formed the basis of what became Rabbinic Judaism and the group had a profound impact of the religious life of the Jewish people. They are probably best known for their interpretation of the Old Testament law and the subsequent oral tradition.
Teachers of the law : Sometimes referred to as scribes in the New Testament, these were a group of people who taught the law, they would have also copied the text and ruled on whether something was allowed or not under the law.
Inspire
Meal Time
Jesus spends a lot of time eating meals in the gospel of Luke. The sharing of a meal like this may seem unimportant to us but in first century Israel it was a significant gesture. Table fellowship, as it was often called in Judaism, was governed by numerous rules and was an intimate occasion. People reclined at the table, lying close together. They would have dipped their hands into common bowls of food and so anyone ceremonially unclean would contaminate everyone at the table.
Sharing a meal with others had deeper implications than practicalities about cleanliness though. Sharing food with others was an invitation to share life with someone. It was about family and friendship, trust and forgiveness. To eat
with someone was to stand with them as brothers and sisters.
The Tax Man
Levi was not a popular man. In fact he would have been despised by most of his fellow Jews, especially the religious leaders. Why? Because he was a tax collector. Tax collectors held a profession that was frowned upon due to its unjust nature but also because it meant they colluded with Rome. This was unforgivable for the religious leaders and so tax collectors were often named alongside those who had chosen deliberately sinful lifestyles like prostitutes.
Yet this is the man Jesus calls to be a disciple, someone who has chosen a way of life that was renowned for being sinful. It is not the first time Jesus calls the outcast and it will not be the last. This is an important message for Luke. Jesus calls all people, from all lifestyles and backgrounds to follow him.
Follow
Of all the calls to discipleship, Levi’s is maybe the shortest. Just two words spoken in his direction and he gets up, leaving everything and follows. What did it mean to leave everything? Levi certainly wouldn’t have been able to return to tax collecting having walked out on his job, unlike those with a trade like fishing (John 21:1-3). When he stood up and walked away he was choosing to sacrifice his career in order to follow Jesus.
More than that though, he was choosing to leave his old way of life behind in order to live differently. As when John told the tax collectors who came to him to no longer cheat their customers (3:12-13). Here Levi is making the choice to live in a different way and the first thing he does is throw a party.
Doctor, Doctor
We are told that having responded to the call Levi now throws a banquet for Jesus and a number of his friends. Being a tax collector, most of Levi’s friends turn out to be sinners like him. The religious leaders looking in and seeing this would have been disturbed. The fact that Jesus was sharing a meal with these kind of people would have made him and his disciples unclean. It also showed that Jesus was aligning himself with these kinds of people. These were his friends, his brother and sisters and that did not sit right with them. They ask why would he do this? and Jesus tells them in no uncertain terms. It is not the healthy that need a doctor but the sick, not the righteous but those who are disconnected from God.
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This shows us a distinction in Jesus’ mission compared to the Pharisees. They saw the world in terms of laws and those who were punished for breaking them. Jesus saw those who were lost and need to be called home. His was a mission of restoration, redemption and resurrection.
Reflect
Sharing a meal with someone had great significance in Jesus’ day. It was a sign of friendship and signified a deeper connection between those who ate than we have today.
• Do you eat your meals at the table?
• Who would you normally invite round for dinner? friend, acquaintance or stranger?
Tax collectors where one of the most hated people in Jewish society. The job they did made them outcasts because of the rules and regulations of others.
• Who do we make outcasts? in society or Church.
• How can we show those that the world labels as outcasts, that they are welcome in God’s kingdom?
Levi left everything to follow Jesus. It was a sacrifice to give it all up to journey with him.
• What have you given up to follow Jesus?
• What stops you inviting others to make the journey with you?
Jesus came to seek the lost and heal those who were sick. His mission was to those who were told they couldn’t be accepted by God because of who they were or what they did.
• Should the church be a place known for welcoming the outcasts and ‘sinners’?
• Why do we put bounds on who God’s love is for?
Live
Let’s eat – start sitting round the table with your family for meals. Invite people over for food whether they are best friends or complete strangers. Share food and life with others.
Welcome – Try to be welcoming this week. Take small steps to show the person on the edge that they are not alone.
Follow – Ask God this week to show you where he wants you to be. What is he calling you to do? What might you have to give up?
Invite – Challenge yourself to find someone that might not think ‘church’ is for them. Pray for ways in which you could bring them in though things like alpha, a cell, Waves or Sunday@thepub.