JESUS CALLS LEVI

Luke 5:27-32

Key Verse: 5:27

"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..."

            Today Jesus calls a disciple by the name of Levi. Levi represents a powerful and willful sinner. He was a tax collector by profession and a social outcast and a public sinner. He was a most unlikely candidate to become one of Jesus' disciples. But Jesus chose him to become one of his disciples and raised him up to become St. Matthew. He sees in the outcast an opportunity for God to show his mercy. Jesus has hope in any kinds of person. Levi pictures a called outcast who in turn leads others to hear Jesus. We see Jesus’ discipleship model here-call a sinner to repentance and change him and use him to invite others. Jesus makes a clear mission statement, “I have come to call sinners to repentance.” Let's think about the meaning of Jesus’ calling. I pray that God may bless us to invite lost sheep and seek out many sinners to repentance in this spring semester. May God bless us to open our house like Levi to share God’s joy with others.

PART I CALL OF LEVI (27-28)

            Jesus calls Levi to become his disciple. Who was Levi? He was a tax collector. Tax collectors were local Jews employed by Roman authority. They were hated by their fellow Jews because they collaborated with the Roman invaders and collected heavy taxes from their suffering people. They cheated fellow countrymen and enriched their own pockets with the surplus. In the Synoptic Gospels tax collectors are bracketed with "sinners." John the Baptist told them, ‘Don’t collect any more than you are required to.” (Luke 3:13) In order to make money, Levi hardened his heart and closed his eyes to his own suffering fellow Jews and became a tax collector. He did not care about other’s hurt feelings through his actions as long as he accumulated his material wealth. In the process of making money, he lost the image of God. He lost his noble desire to be respected and honored by others. Money became his number one idol. He was a powerful sinner and a slave of money. Jesus said in Matt. 6:24b, “You cannot serve both God and Money.” In the capitalistic society money speaks volume. In the movie, “The Wall Street” the main actor said, “Greed is good.” This means that greed feeds selfishness and selfishness is promoted and condoned. Today people hear the sound of money but they do not hear the voice of God. God’s word is buried underneath of postmodernism and materialism. That’s Levi problem. He did not have God in his life. He wanted to get out of this miserable life. Levi was in need of God's mercy. He was in need of Jesus' healing. He needed a spiritual doctor to fix his sin sickness. What did Jesus do with Levi?

First, Jesus saw him with the hope of God. Verse 27 says, “Jesus saw a tax collector by the name of Levi.” People ignored him pretending not to see him. But Jesus saw him. The word “see’ is “etheasato” in Greek which means “observe, notice.” Jesus observed Levi as a man created in the image of God. Jesus noticed Levi to become a man of faith. This indicates that Jesus consciously singles out this man. It is no accident that Jesus calls Levi. While people condemned him, “You are not good,” Jesus looked at him and observed him and noticed him with the hope of God. While people turned their eyes away from him, Jesus turned his eyes on him. Jesus saw his potential to be great if only he changes his life direction. Let’s see college students with hope of God like Jesus and observe and notice their great potential. Last Friday, I observed great potential in Shawn K. and Mike H. because they came to hear the word of God. They came Siloam meeting instead of going to dorm party. Praise Jesus who sees us with hope of God. Praise Jesus who noticed our spiritual hunger and thirst. Praise Jesus who came to us while we were terrible sinners.

Second, When Jesus said, "Follow me," it was an invitation to the heavenly kingdom. Jesus’ calling has two part-command and promise. Luke mentioned only about the command part ‘follow me.” In the past nobody said to him, “Follow me.” Jesus gave him a new life direction. Levi followed his sinful nature and lived in the darkness. Our future depends on whom we follow. If we follow a street gang, we become a street gang. If we follow an engineer, we become an engineer. If we follow Jesus, we become a disciple of Jesus. Following Jesus is a great life leads us to the kingdom of heaven. Out of many people, Jesus chose Levi, a terrible sinner. The calling of Levi was only by the grace of Jesus. Maybe Levi said, “Are you talking to me?” when Jesus called him. It was an unexpected call. It was a big surprise. Levi said, “Lord, I am unworthy. I am undeserving sinner. Why me? Thank you! Thank you!” Here we learn that Jesus’ calling comes from above. We did not choose Jesus but Jesus chose us to follow him. God called Abraham out of his mercy. God called Moses out of his grace through he was not a good speaker. God called David, the youngest not because he was qualified but because of his mercy. God called Apostle Paul not because of his ability but because of God’s grace. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am…” God’s calling does not come from our own merit but it comes from God’s mercy. Nobody can nullify God’s calling. What did it mean to Jesus to invite Levi, “Follow me”? Rev.3:20 says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Jesus really wanted to have fellowship with Levi. Jesus wanted to spend time with Levi. Jesus the prince of heaven was knocking the door of Levi’s thirsty heart. When Levi opens his heart, Jesus will come in and bless him to become his own disciple. This reminds us the old hymn # 240, “There is a Savior who stands at the door of your heart. He is longing to enter-why let him depart? He has patiently called you so often before. But you must open the door. You must open the door-You must open the door. When Jesus comes in, he will save you from sin. But you must open the door.” Do not shut the door to Jesus but open your heart because Jesus wants to come in your heart at this time. Jesus will train Levi to know who he is and will guide him to grow in his character. Jesus will be responsible for his future in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus will teach Levi and he will learn from Jesus. Jesus invited Andrew and John in John 1:39, “Come and you will see.” This means that if they follow Jesus, he will show them the way to the kingdom of heaven and the truth and the life. In the same way, Jesus will give Levi access to his treasure of the kingdom of heaven.

Third, Levi left everything to follow Jesus. What was Levi's answer? Look at verse 28. "...and Levi got up, left everything and followed him." Jesus told the paralyzed man, “Get up and take your mat and go home.” But Jesus did not say to Levi, “Get up.” Why? Levi was able to get up by himself. Levi needed a following. Levi needed to make a decision of faith. Jesus knows his sheep very well. Jesus just told Levi, “Follow me.” How did Levi respond? Levi just got up because he was tired of sitting there too long. He accepted Jesus’ calling from his heart. After meeting Jesus, he found himself in Jesus. In the past, money was his king. But money did not make him happy. Rather, he was cut off from God and became a slave of money. He was like a flower in the vase slowing withering and dying. He was like a fish out of water. Now he found his true object of worship. In the past money was his king but now Jesus became his Savior King. So he wrote the gospel Matthew with the theme “the kingdom of heaven.” He was restored into the kingdom of God by accepting Jesus' invitation. He began to store treasure in Jesus. So he left everything and followed Jesus. He knew the cost of discipleship. He knew that without leaving everything behind it would be difficult to follow Jesus. Jesus said in Luke 9:62, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of heaven.” He knew that looking back to his old job and worrying about future would hinder him in following Jesus. So he left everything and put Jesus as his first priority like Matthew 6:33. What was immediate change in his life?

PART II LEVI HELD A GREAT BANQUET FOR JESUS (29-30)

            Levi repented his sinful life. Image of God was restored in Levi. He became a new creation in Jesus. His dark wandering life ended with a great joy. What a change Jesus brought to his life? After meeting Jesus and receiving a call from him, Levi put a priority in serving others. He took his call seriously and opened his house to serve others. In the past, when he lived for money, he had no joy of life. He began to use his money. He opened his house. Look at verse 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." He was so joyful that he held a great banquet for Jesus and his disciples at his house. He held not a small banquet with corn chips with sodas but a great banquet with beef steaks and barbeque grills. This time, the penny-pincher spared no expense. In the past he took money from other people. Now he began to use his money to serve others. He bought lots of food and invited all his tax collector friends and enjoyed eating fellowship with them. He invited his old friends to introduce them to Jesus. When we are changed, our first mission is to invite our friend to Jesus. When I met Jesus first, I brought a lot of my buddies to Jesus. Levi was a model disciple. He repented of his selfish life and left everything and began to serve others introducing Jesus to them. Levi became a good witness of Jesus to them. Friend listens to friend. Last Friday YDJ has a presentation about witnessing. Jesus called us to invite our friend to Jesus. Let’s accept this mission practically by inviting one lost sheep to Jesus. This eating fellowship draws a sharp contrast between his past selfish life and new life in Jesus. The mood of the banquet was carefree and joyful. The hungry disciples enjoyed good foods making a lot of noise with Levi's fellow tax collectors. They had a good time. They were sinners. But it was the heavenly Kingdom, because Jesus was there with them. They tasted the joy of heaven eating with Jesus, the Prince of peace. They tasted the feast of heavenly kingdom with Jesus.

            However, there were grumbling and complaining people. Who were they? Look at verse 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'?" The Pharisees were religious leaders of the times. They thought that they were righteous because they kept all kinds of rituals and human traditions. They condemned the tax collectors as sinners. They thought that they were different from the tax collectors. They thought that they did not need Jesus because they were self-sufficient.

PART III JESUS HAS COME TO CALL THE SICK AND THE SINNERS (31-32)

            Jesus heard their complaining and knew they did not have God's mercy in their hearts. How did Jesus help them? Look at verses 31, 32. "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Jesus' reply reveals the purpose of his coming. The purpose of Jesus' coming was to call sinners to repentance. Jesus had a shepherd heart for the Pharisees. He taught them that they were in need of God's mercy. Jesus tried to remind them that they were sinners before the holy God. The first step to be healed by Jesus our spiritual doctor is to admit our sickness. No doctor can help someone who does not think that he or she is sick. Following doctor’s direction is very important for patient’s healing. Trust between doctor and patient is critical for complete and quick healing. My family doctor told me, “It is very difficult to treat doctors and nurses because they do not follow his direction.” One poet patient with a kidney problem ignored doctor’s direction not to drink saying, “My life has no meaning without drinking.” He died soon after because he ignored doctor’s direction. Jesus gave Levi a new direction, “Follow me.” Levi was healed from sickness and became one of the greatest Bible teacher in history. Jesus gave us a prescription to be healed. It is to listen to him and obey his word.  The difference between Levi and the Pharisees was that Levi knew that he was sick in spirit but the Pharisees did not know that they were sick. Levi received Jesus' healing and began to start a new life in Jesus while the Pharisees remained in their own sin sickness. I pray that we all may come to Jesus and receive his grace of healing so that we can taste the kingdom of God in our hearts. Let's read the key verse 5:27.