Jesus On The Town

After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.”

And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.  And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.

The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” 

And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.”

“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 12:27-32

Jesus came for everyone, and He did not apologize for it.  Jesus viewed all people as people in need of salvation.  He did not shy away from those people who society considered to be real lowlifes, like tax collectors.  He embraced them.

Jesus’s actions toward the tax collector Levi, proves a very important point – we cannot take the Gospel to the world, if we do not talk to everybody, including those people who we may consider to be lowlifes. 

I know we worry about taking some people to church with us, but if Jesus could go mingle with the tax collectors, then we can invite some people who really need to meet Jesus to church.  And, we might be surprised to see what happens.

They, like the tax collectors, might get Jesus and get well.