He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:13-17 ESV).
Perhaps one of the most common complaints of the current movement of God is that it not taking place in “a church,” or its happening with “young people.” While it is true that many of the gatherings are taking place outside of the traditional church buildings there have been many of the gatherings that simply broke out in churches where people gathered to worship and sing. The colleges and universities that are seeing the move of the Holy Spirit within their campuses are taking place in non-traditional sites. The key is not where it is happening but to whom it is happening. Our reading today points us to a similar experience in Jesus’ day.
The question then becomes who are the people Jesus would spend time with if he lived physically among us today? Would he hang out with saints or sinners? Jesus surely would not have neglected either group, but it’s clear that he came for people who were spiritually desperate.
In our story today Levi (also known as Matthew) was that sort of man. He was a tax collector for the enemy Roman government. Like other tax collectors, he was seen by most of the religious community as a sinner and a traitor to his people. Many tax collectors had earned this because of the practice of growing rich by charging excessive taxes and pocketing the extra. He was the kind of person that hardworking, respectable people didn’t like. Most would have thought he had no chance with God. Yet, he was someone whom Jesus went after in his grace. Levi was just the kind of person Jesus came to save.
Jesus’ words remind us that there’s no one his love cannot reach. He didn’t come “to call the righteous, but sinners.” He came to share God’s love with people who were spiritually sick and unsavory. He came for each of us, no matter our sin.