Luke 5:27–32 — After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him… And Jesus answered them, “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.”
Connection to the sermon: 1 Corinthians 10:32–33.
Your brother tells you he’s started going to church. You want to be happy, but you remember the other fresh starts. The promises that lasted a few weeks and the apologies followed by the same behavior. Before he finishes explaining, you’re already thinking, We’ll see how long this lasts. Sometimes that hesitation comes from being hurt. You might even have good reasons to be careful. But there’s a difference between recognizing a pattern and deciding that even Jesus can’t change the person caught in it.
Luke introduces Levi sitting at a tax booth. His occupation placed him among people widely regarded with suspicion and contempt. Before anyone knew his name, “tax collector” could tell them everything they thought they needed to know. Jesus saw him there and said, “Follow me.” Levi had no record of faithfulness to offer. Jesus called him where he was, and that call demanded a response. And Levi responded. He rose, left everything, and followed. His past was peppered with sin and betrayal, but it would no longer determine whom he served.
Then Levi held a feast, gathering other tax collectors and people whose company troubled the religious leaders. They questioned why Jesus would associate with them, annd He answered with the picture of a physician going to those who needed healing. Their sin was the very reason they needed Him. He came to call them to repentance. The religious leaders could identify what was wrong with the people in that room, but Jesus came with the authority and mercy to do something about it. Think about the greatness of that mercy. Jesus knew more about Levi than his harshest critic knew. He didn’t need an edited account of the man’s life before calling him. No concealed sin would later surprise Him or reveal that He had underestimated the cost of redemption.
He knew the full depth of human guilt, and He had come to bear it. At the cross, the Son of God would carry the judgment our sins deserved. His resurrection would open a future that no amount of regret or self-improvement could create. He can forgive the guilty, reconcile them to God, and give them new life by His Spirit. Which means we should be very careful about speaking as though someone’s history has placed them beyond the reach of such a Savior. Maybe it’s a coworker who has mocked Christianity for years. When she finally asks a serious question, you assume she’s looking for another argument. Maybe a young adult begins taking faith seriously, and the family keeps bringing up who he was in high school. We can become so accustomed to describing someone’s failures that we struggle to recognize a reason for hope.
So let’s take this as a call to stop treating another person’s failure as inevitable. A Winsome Witness leaves room for the gospel to be good news for the person everyone thinks they already know. And maybe you are that person. People remember what you did, and you wonder whether anything else will ever come to mind when they hear your name. Jesus’ call doesn’t ask you to deny your past, but it does call you to entrust your life to the Savior who can forgive it and lead you forward. Levi got up from the tax booth. By the grace of Jesus, his story continued. By the way, Levi also goes by another name. Matthew. The one who wrote the first book of the New Testament. His story really did continue.
Head: A person’s past doesn’t place them beyond Christ’s power to redeem.
Heart: Whose future have I been judging only by their past?
Hands: Pray by name for someone you’ve become cynical about. Where appropriate, encourage one genuine step toward Christ.
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, thank You for knowing my whole story and meeting me with redeeming mercy. Forgive me for speaking as though another person’s failures are greater than Your power to save. Keep me from growing cynical and apathetic. Let my words encourage someone to turn toward You today. Amen.”
-PK