Levi, the Legalists and the Lord
Luke • Sermon • Submitted
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Kids’ Corner-
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
God is the creator of all things.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Who made you? God made me
What else did God make? God made all things
“I know I am somebody, cuz God don’t make no junk!”
This is very true. What is also true is that we are not the Kings or Queens of the Universe either. God made each of us, exactly the way we are supposed to be.
16 You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
9 “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?
How foolish and prideful is it for us to tell God that He messed up?
Story of Nicole and Joshua arguing over whose dad was stronger or smarter. They were both right, but their argument was foolish, because it really didn’t matter. God made us both, exactly the way we are supposed to be.
We are in our study of the Gospel of Luke and we are in a sense, Walking with Jesus into the Kingdom Of God.
Where we will be picking up our study this morning is toward the end of chapter 5. Jesus began His earthly ministry just a short time prior to the event we are going to be looking at this morning. He has consistently demonstrated His wisdom, understanding, power and authority each and every step of the way.
Authority over temptation/devil/demons.
Authority over fleshly desires of hunger and thirst
Authority over nature (fish)
Authority over sickness/disease
This morning we are going to see His demonstration of authority over the law and over religion. His authority is seen in His words. More of the “red letters” in the Gospel
27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. 29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Two Lines the Lord Spoke
Two Lines the Lord Spoke
Follow Me!
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.
“Follow Me”
“Follow Me”
In this case it isn’t so much of a surprise that Jesus said these two words,
In this case what is remarkable is who He said those words to. At least it caused some people who were around at the time to take note and question what He was doing.
Jesus spoke those two words, “Follow Me”, to the man, Levi/Matthew, who was known as a sinner, a cheat, a traitor, a conspirator against his very own people.
Levi/Matthew was quite possibly one of Jesus’ cousins, son of Cleopas wife of Alpheus, Mary’s sister.
He would have been a disappointment to his family. Becoming a trader, serving the Roman’s and their cause, taking from the Jews (more than he was supposed to) keeping some for himself and giving the rest to the Gentiles.
But Jesus extends the invitation to follow Him.
Levi/Matthew it says, leaves everything, arose and followed Jesus. Then it continues to say that Christ was later at his house, enjoying a feast with many of his cohorts & sinners. So what did he leave behind? It wasn’t his belongings, it wasn’t his friends per say. He left behind, his position, duty and responsibility. He left behind the attitude and actions of serving his own interests.
Notice the invitation to follow is personal and directed to Levi, not to a crowd. Levi wasn’t mistakenly chosen, he was specifically and directly given the invitation to follow Jesus.
In The Normal Christian Life- Watchman Nee says that one must go through an inner death, the seed must die, before it is able to bring the ministry of life to another. This is simply another confirmation of what we have observed in the Gospel of Luke, as person after person comes to the realization that they are “dead in their sins”, a man full of sin like Levi, began to follow Jesus.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them.
What happens here is important for us to make note of for several reasons.
First, Levi’s excitement and worship of Jesus was evidenced by this dinner party. He wanted his friends and co-workers to have a chance to fellowship and dine with Jesus in a small group setting. Culturally this was a significant gesture of friendship and acceptance. The act of dining together and reclining at a table was a sign of inclusion, acceptance and commitment to a relationship.
“A converted man will not wish to go to heaven alone.” Ryle
Therefore, it was a significant act on Levi’s part to host each one who was present, but it was equally or more significant that Jesus Christ accepted the invitation and that he chose to stay and recline at the table with this particular group of people.
Let’s keep going to see what happens.
30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
It is very obvious that the “religious leaders of the day, were suspicious of Jesus’ behavior, and His authority, and now, this must have been just one more “red flag”. The Pharisees’ response is revealing, as is our response when we interact with people and when we react or respond to differing circumstances. Here is the part when we get to Jesus’ second line in this section. He answered the Pharisees’ question by saying.
"I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
"I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Jesus was showing love, compassion and concern for even the folks who were sinners and were unpopular because of their sin. The group likely included men who were thieves, blackmailers, extortioners. Just their presence was enough to create ill feelings, because they represented the Roman government, which was a reminder of God forsaking them and judging them as His chosen people.
Who are the “tax collectors and sinners” of our day?
Who are the “tax collectors and sinners” of our day?
Are they the kind of people that hang out in the clubs? Are they the drunkards and the drug addicts? Are they the marxists? Are they the LGBT community? Are they the loners at school or the jocks, or the computer nerds or the partiers? Who would you not want to be seen with at a restaurant? Whose behavior would you be embarrassed by, if your grandparents were watching, or your parents were watching.
I recall hanging out with some kids in the neighborhood, that were not Christians, they would have been viewed as rebels and sinners by the people in my church. As a teenager, I often found myself wrestling with thoughts of jealousy for the “freedom” the non-christians had, and also struggling to fit in with the crowd, depending on who I was with at the moment. That was even the case at the Christian school I attended. Some of the students were known rebels, others were secretly rebellious, and others were unashamedly seeking to follow after Christ. I would say, that I wavered between the latter two groups.
The problem I had, was that I wasn’t asking them, as the apostle Paul did, to Follow Me as I follow Christ. Instead, I was looking to have one foot in church/ the Kingdom of God and the other foot in the world. I wanted to be accepted by the sinners and the saints. I was serving myself, not my Lord. But by the grace of God, He continues to draw me and encourages me to be a light to others.
So what is expected of us? What was Jesus example? We are expected to let our light shine before men, so they can see our good deeds and glorify our Father which is in Heaven. Christians often get off the right track. We either want to respond to sinners, like the Pharisees responded to sinners, or we want to join the sinners in their sin.
Who is well? Who is righteous? Who has no need of healing?
Who is well? Who is righteous? Who has no need of healing?
“God has no enemy which he hates but sin, we should have no other.” Adam Clarke.
Jesus opposed the pride of the Pharisees and scribes. He sought to deliver, to heal, to restore the sick, to free the slave to sin, the make a live the spiritually dead.
Jesus extended grace, love and compassion toward those who were willing and able to confess their unrighteousness. We see this over and over again in the Gospels. Tax collectors (money launderers, extortioners, mob thugs) Prostitutes, adulterers, lepers, lame, Roman soldiers.
What are we to learn from Jesus example? What are we to learn from Levi, the Legalists and the Lord? Freedom in Christ, is not freedom to sin, it is freedom from sin toward righteousness.
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Let’s celebrate Christ’s wonderful service toward us around the communion table.