Jesus needs you!

Luke 5:27-32

Jesus noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting by the customs house, and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything he got up and followed him. In his honour Levi held a great reception in his house, and with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples and said, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus said to them in reply, ‘It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.’

Food for thought!

Who need the doctor? Of course the sick people. And who are the sick people? Do you think you need the doctor? Are you sick? Of what? Do you need Jesus? And does Jesus need someone like you? Let us look at the Gospel of today for answers to these questions.

As Jesus walked along the shores of Galilee, He passed a man named Levi who was working at the booth where taxes were collected. Levi was a tax collector. He worked for the Roman government, collecting taxes for the empire. The Romans came up with a tax quota for each province in the empire. They allowed their private people to bid on the contracts for collecting the taxes in each area. As long as these tax collectors met their quota, Rome didn’t care how much more they collected. As a result, the tax collectors became very rich, (you remember Zacchaeus, in Luke 19:2) as they overcharged the people, paid Rome and kept the difference for themselves. Tax collectors were known as public sinners. Levi or Matthew was one of them.

Because Levi was a tax collector for Rome, he was among the most despised people around. He was viewed as a traitor to his people and to his nation. He must have been also a disappointment to his parents. He was from the tribe of Levi (and you remember that in the Old Testament all priests came from the tribe of Levi).  Instead of serving as a priest, Levi was working in the tax collection business. I am sure that Levi’s parents had great expectations for their son. They hoped he would serve in the Temple as a priest. Instead, Levi became something else, turning his back against everybody's expectations.

As Jesus passed by, He saw Levi, sitting by the tax office. Why would Jesus have any use for a man like this? In spite of his occupation; his lifestyle; his failures; and his sin; Jesus loved Levi and He called him to a new life. No one is beyond hope. I am sure that most people in Capernaum had given up on Levi. The good religious people of the city snubbed him as they passed by and wrote him off as a lost cause. Jesus, however, knew that his life could still be used. He loved him in spite of his past and his problems and He delivered Levi from the bondage of his sins and gave him a new life. No one is beyond the reach of our redeeming Lord.

Jesus sees the hidden potential in our lives – Jesus saw something in Levi that nobody else could see! This man would be given a new name. He would become known as Matthew, (Matt. 9:9). He would be a faithful follower of Jesus; he would one day write a Gospel, The Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew. Never give up! Keep praying, keep walking and working. Keep believing! One day you too will write a Gospel of your own; God works in ways that you can’t even imagine! To him be praise and honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.