Calling of Levi (Mark 2:13-17)

[Stephan Choe]

September 10, 2024

Leading verse 17:       “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, <It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners>.”

Levi is better known today as the Apostle Matthew. Levi was his original name. But when he was called to be one of Jesus' apostles, he began to be known as Matthew. Today we want to learn how the tax collector Levi became an apostle of Christ.

His transformation gives each of us the sure hope of transformation.

Jesus went out to the lake again. Then all the people came to him. And he taught them God's word. After he had finished his teaching, he walked along the main road past the customs office. As he did so, he saw Levi, the tax collector, sitting at the customs office.

Palestine was ruled by the Romans at that time. The tax collectors were in the service of the Romans and collected taxes from the Jews for the Romans.

They collected various taxes: poll tax from all men aged between 14 and 65 and from all women aged between 12 and 65, land tax from a tenth of the grain yield and a fifth of the wine and oil yield. The tax collectors had their customs office on a main road and were allowed to stop people on the street and order them to open their bales, and could take almost as much as they wanted from them. That's how they enriched themselves.

But the Jews regarded tax collectors as traitors and sinners. That is why they were most hated by the Jews. They were not allowed to visit the synagogue and were not allowed to sacrifice or worship in the temple, but were treated like pagans.

Levi must actually have been a promising young, talented man; he writes the Gospel of Matthew in Aramaic or Hebrew.

But he had been a bit hasty and thought that money was the most important thing and the faith in God or love was unimportant. He firmly believed that money would make him happy. So he decided to pursue a career as a tax collector and earn a lot of money. He applied for a job as a customs officer and got it. He collected a lot of duty and quickly became a millionaire. He bought a luxury house with a large garden, a swimming pool, and two or three luxury cars. He could buy anything he wanted.

But a lot of money couldn't buy him some things, such as a good reputation among the people. On the contrary, he was hated by his people as a traitor to his country and a sinner. He had not one good friend, but only friends from the tax collector's circle.

He was thirsty and lonely. Above all, he felt guilty towards God, because he was a godless sinner, a greedy egoist, and a traitor to his country. He was shunned, despised, and insulted by everyone. He felt abandoned by God.

But when Jesus saw him sitting at the customs house as he passed by, Jesus recognized his miserable situation and his cry for help.

We should pay attention to the two words in verse 14, namely “passing by” and “seeing”. The Lord passes by and saw Levi sitting in the customs house. In the eyes of many people, the encounter between Jesus and Levi is a coincidence. But how can it be that the Lord is passing by on this road and Levi catches his eye? The Lord knows who Levi is, what he wants, and he calls out to him: “Follow me!”

His word doesn't just mean: “Follow me”, but: “Come to me, learn from me and my life and continue on my path!”

Jesus invites Levi to follow his path of holy life, which separates us from the world.

Levi has heard a lot about Jesus through rumors. Capernaum is the place where the Lord performed many miracles. Capernaum is the hometown of Peter, Andrew, James, John, and also Levi, who works in the customs office in Capernaum. It would be impossible for Levi not to have heard about the Lord. He is well informed about what is going on in the world. He has heard that the Pharisees don't even go near prostitutes and sinners, but this man accepts them all and becomes their friend. Levi wants to see and hear this man who does not discriminate against him. But Levi knows that all the people call Levi a sinner and avoid him.

The Lord knows exactly what Levi's heart's desire is, although no one understands him or tries to understand him. Although everyone looks at him with contempt and disdain, the Lord looks at him with loving eyes. The Lord looks at him like a beloved child. And the Lord knows his heart's desire to turn away from his sinful life and follow Jesus.

And the Lord says to Levi: “Follow me!” In response to this irresistible call from the Lord, Levi gets up on the spot. He rises from the bondage of sin, the bondage of selfishness, and follows the Lord. He no longer wants to go back. He turns from selfishness and sin. He is converted from addiction to money.

It comes as a shock to some people that Jesus has made Levi, a sinner and a tax collector, his disciple. Yet Jesus has called Levi, a sinner, to be his disciple.

Verse 15 tells us: “And it came to pass, as he sat at meat in his house, that many publicans and sinners sat down at meat with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many that followed him.”

Publicans and sinners is a collective term for people who were regarded as sinners by society at the time.

Because Jesus intends to be a friend of sinners and to save sinners, the tax collectors find great joy. They sit at a table with him. So the table is a meeting place with Jesus.

The news that Jesus has visited the homes of sinners and eats with sinners spreads like wildfire in the region. Then the scribes appear. They come to investigate him like police officers investigate criminals. They come to Levi's house and see Jesus eating with tax collectors and his disciples. They complain to the disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners!”

Although tax collectors are Jewish fellow citizens, they are forbidden to attend synagogue. They are “outcasts” who are not allowed to enter the synagogue. Yet Jesus, the Son of God, gladly accepts Lev's invitation and sits at the table with the tax collectors. He has become like one of the tax collectors in order to save them.

The scribes see that Jesus is happy to sit at the table with tax collectors and wants to make Levi his disciple. They see this as a violation of Jewish law and a challenge to their authority.

That is why they complain to Jesus' disciples.

Their complaint is clearly audible to the Lord's ears.

He answers them: “The healthy do not need a doctor, but the sick; I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

With these words, the Lord makes it clear why and for what purpose he came to earth. He does not associate with sinners in order to have fun with them, but he wants to change sinners into good people. He came to heal sick souls and turn them into children of God.

With this word, Jesus also means that the scribes are also sinners, even though they do not recognize themselves as sinners. The Pharisees and scribes consider themselves to be righteous, but in reality they are terrible sinners because they see God as one who likes to judge and condemn people. They condemn other people and declare them hopeless, even though God loves lost people and wants to save them. And God even sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world and sacrificed him for their sins.

But the Pharisees and scribes ignore God's heart and condemn tax collectors as hopeless sinners who deserve hell. They see themselves as righteous, deserving the kingdom of heaven. In reality, their self-righteousness earns them the condemnation of God.

If you and I are righteous, we do not need Jesus Christ. But there are no righteous people in this world; all people are sinners, also you and I. That is why Jesus is come to earth, to save us sinners. That is why Jesus has called Levi the tax collector to be his disciple. The Lord does not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Jesus does not call the Pharisees and scribes to be his disciples, who think they are righteous and do not need Jesus. Our Lord calls those who admit that they are sinners and need Jesus' forgiveness. And I am also a sinner and need Jesus Christ.

Jesus comes to us of his own accord. Even if we do not have the courage to come to him, even if we hesitate to come to him, he comes to us first, meets us, forgives us and accepts us warmly.

The Lord does not look at Levi through the glasses of the law, but through the glasses of love. And Jesus does not call Levi because of what he was, but because of what he will become.

What would have happened if Jesus had said to Levi: “A sinner like you cannot be my disciple” and then walked past the customs?

Where would we be today if he had not called us, sinners, but only the righteous?

The reason why the Lord calls sinners is that he is the only Savior who can heal and save us; he can heal every sick person and turn them into a healthy person.

Levi was a man who wanted to draw near to the Lord, but could not. He was too busy working for his body and neglected his soul. But the Lord, the physician, visits him, heals him and makes him a disciple.

This Levi becomes a disciple of Jesus and later writes the Gospel of Matthew. He probably changed his name from Levi to Matthew after his encounter with Jesus.

Twenty-nine times Matthew quotes from the Old Testament and identifies Jesus as the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. The Lord transformed the sinner Levi into the apostle and author of the book of Matthew. This was possible because Jesus had come to call sinners.

We also need this Lord. If we think we are righteous, then we don't need him. If we think I am righteous, then he cannot help us. Just as a sick person needs a doctor, we need Jesus. We must confess that we are sick and sinners. When we confess that we are sinners, the Lord comes to us, heals us, stays with us and makes us into new people. At the same time, he makes us precious for the gospel.

Let us accept the grace of the Lord who came to earth to call sinners. Let us confess to him that we are sinners. If we then accept his healing, we become new people. We can learn from him and walk as new people so that we can become like him and join him.

Jesus calls us to do this today!