Friday, February 23, 2024

#040 Matthew (Levi) is Called (Matthew 9:9-13; Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32) - Life of Christ = Week 08 - Friday

Jesus Calls Matthew

Matthew 9:9–13Mark 2:13–17Luke 5:27–32

Lk 5:27–28After this, Jesus went out [Mk 2:13awent out again beside the sea] and saw a tax collector named Levi [Mt 9:9Matthew] [Mk 2:14aLevi the son of Alphaeus] sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” 28So, leaving everything behind, he got up and began to follow Him.

29Then Levi hosted a grand banquet for Him at his house. Now there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were guests with them. 30But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to His disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?

31Jesus replied to them, “The healthy don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. Mt 9:13Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew the Tax Collector

Tax collectors such as Matthew were Jews who gathered taxes from their fellow Jews for the Roman government as independent contractors. The Romans placed taxes on land, goods produced and sold in Palestine, and products that passed through the region. These tax agents were allowed to keep any money they raised above the amount levied by the Romans—a practice that led to extortion and corruption. They were hated by other Jews—particularly the Pharisees—because they sold themselves into the employ of the Roman Empire. But Jesus associated with these despised tax collectors, showing that God’s grace extends to all people.





Matthew (Levi) is Called
(Galilee)
Matthew 9:9
Mark 2:13,14
Luke 5:27,28

A famous person you admire is coming to dine with you tomorrow. What would you do to get ready?
  • God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
  • We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
  • Tax collectors lined their pockets with money they collected. How might the disciples (Luke 5:1-11) feel about Jesus' choice?
  • I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How will I
  • You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.

Some Unusual Suspects (Luke 5:27-32) by Toby Levering






Eating With Sinners
Matthew 9:10-13
Mark 2:15-17
Luke 5:29-32

  • God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
  • We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
  • Why choose Levi? What is the irony here? (Luke 5:31-32)
  • I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How will I
  • In this story, what do you have to do to qualify as a disciple?
  • In the way you relate to "undesirable types," are you more like Levi (inviting them to your party), the Pharisees (looking down on them), or the disciples (unsure what to do)? Why?
  • You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
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Mark 2:16 ‐‐  “When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Him eating with the ‘sinners’ and tax collectors, they asked His disciples: ‘Why does He eat with tax collectors and “sinners”?’" 

The life of a follower of Christ is a pretty “cush” place to be – eternal life without fear of what comes after death; abundance and peace personally delivered by the Spirit of God; and nice friends who are comfortable being around.  It would be easy to focus only on what Christ has brought you… if it weren't for those five pesky words after the first and greatest commandment – “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  

If eternal life, peace, abundance, and the fellowship of believers are great for you, surely you love the unbeliever enough to want them to have the same?  Human nature is comfortable with gravitating towards that which is easiest and most pleasurable, but Jesus constantly demonstrated a lifestyle that cared more about others.  Jesus lived an intentional life to love others:  When He and His followers were hungry, He saw the hunger of the 5,000; when Jesus was being wined and dined by the rich and powerful, He saw a repentant woman who was worshipping Him with her treasured possession; when Jesus was pressed in by the crowds desiring to hear and see Him, He saw their oppressed and helpless nature; when cultural norms expected certain behavior, Jesus responded according to the person’s soul and not cultural norms.  

Jesus could have easily just fed Himself, enjoyed the adulation of the rich and famous, quenched His thirst, and found gratification in the thousands clamoring to Him… but He loved others more than Himself.  His every movement, every word, and every opportunity were filled with being used by God to touch the lives of others no matter the discomfort, cost, or inconvenience.  

In John 4:34 Jesus revealed to His disciples His passion when they challenged His time with the woman at the well, “My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of Him Who sent Me and to finish His work.”  The Father’s work for Jesus was to love people.  Loving people was not a ministry project, but the very nourishment and fulfillment of His life.  Bringing others to the throne of God to have eternal life and to experience His abundance was His greatest joy.  

Pray for God not only to give you opportunities to be “salt and light” for Christ, but that your soul and spirit are fed by loving others more than yourself.  Pray that your soul hungers for the opportunity to share Christ and His love so that you are filled with the love of Christ!


John 13:34‐35 ‐‐ “A new command I give you:  Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another."  

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Other Resources:
An Outsider's Story


Further Reading
The Kingdom of God as a New Way of Living in the World



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