I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners!

Luke5:27-32
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!
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. And Jesus saw him seating 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! Give him a chance!

Who needs the doctor? Of course the sick people. And who are the sick people? This is a hard one. It is hard for me and you to think that we need a doctor. The question to ask ourselves: Are we sick? Of what? Do we need Jesus? And does Jesus need someone like we? Let us look at the Gospel of today for answers to these questions.