He went out again by the seaside, where a crowd came to him,
and he taught them. As he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting
at the tax office, and said to him, “Follow me.” And Levi got up and followed
him.
Jesus was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, and many
tax collectors and sinners sat down with him and his disciples. The scribes and
the Pharisees, when they saw what Jesus was doing, said to his disciples, “Why
is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”
When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “Those who are
healthy have no need of a physician, but only those who are sick. I came not to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Reflection
Tax collectors were perhaps the most
despised people in Israel, considered crooks and traitors by everyone. There
could hardly have been a less likely person for Jesus to invite to follow him.
Who are the despised people in our own world we would likely vote “least likely
to follow Jesus?” Drug dealers? Gang leaders? Terrorists? Can you imagine such
a person following Jesus?
Prayer:
Help me imagine, Lord, that no one is beyond the reach of your love.
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