Calling Sinners to Repentance

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“Calling Sinners to Repentance” Luke 5:27-32 A couple weeks ago in a study titled, “A Dead Man Walking,” I shared with you the story of Rusty Woomer. Back in the 1980s Rusty was on death row in South Carolina for a robbery and killing spree in 1979 that claimed the lives of four people and left another permanently disfigured. While in prison, Rusty was introduced to Jesus by a prison volunteer and found his life transformed by the amazing grace of God. Now, while we Christians say we believe that no one is beyond the reach of grace, we would consider a man like Rusty a very unlikely prospect for salvation. Maybe you disagree with me on that last statement. If so, let me ask you one question. The people you spend time with, are they basically ‘good’ people or are they, in today’s terms, the ‘low-lifes’ of your community?” John Newton was born in July 24, 1725 the son of a commander of a merchant ship which sailed the Mediterranean. When John was eleven, he went to sea with his father and together they made six voyages before the elder Newton retired. In 1744, at age 19, John was impressed into service on a man-of-war, the H. M. S. Harwich. Finding conditions on board intolerable, he deserted but was soon recaptured. As punishment he was publicly flogged and demoted from midshipman to common seaman. Finally at his own request he was exchanged into service on a slave ship, where as the servant of the captain he was brutally abused. Early in 1748 he was rescued by a sea captain who had known his father. John Newton ultimately became captain of his own slave ship, and as a result of his own experience became a brutal and violent man. On one of his voyages back to England with a cargo of slaves, he was attempting to steer the ship through a violent storm. It was then that he experienced what he was to refer to later as his “great deliverance.” He recorded in his journal that when all seemed lost and the ship would surely sink, he exclaimed, “Lord, have mercy upon us.” Later in his cabin he reflected on what he had said and began to believe that God had addressed him through the storm and that grace had begun to work for him. Newton is probably most well known for his hymn, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” After his conversion, he went on to become a very effective 1

minister of the Gospel and worked to abolish the slave trade in England and her colonies. Yes, John Newton was, in the eyes of many, an unlikely prospect for the grace of God. But God, in His amazing grace, gloriously saved John Newton and made him an instrument of His grace. Our continuing study in Luke’s Gospel brings us to his account of the calling of Levi, or Matthew, the tax-collector. Here too, in the minds of the religious people of his day, was another unlikely candidate for the grace of God. But Jesus demonstrates again the main reason for which He came; “Calling Sinners to Repentance.” The text for our study and reflection is Luke 5:27 to 32. Listen carefully as I read the Word of God.

As we look at this brief account of Jesus calling sinners to repentance, we note a series of INVITATIONS that lead us to a better understanding of salvation.

The First INVITATION is, Jesus’ Invitation to Levi Levi, whose name indicates he was Jewish, was a tax collector for the hated Roman government. Jesus met him, in the words of our text, “…sitting at the receipt of custom.” Marvin Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament tells us more about this scene. The “toll-booth, or toll-cabin, is an excellent word, though it is obsolete. Sitting at, is, literally sitting on: the elevated platform or bench which was the principal feature of the tolloffice. This customs-office was at Capernaum, the landing-place for the many ships which traversed the lake or coasted from town to town. It was not only for those who had business in Capernaum, but for those who would there strike the great road of eastern commerce from Damascus to the harbors of the West. Of the two kinds of tax-collectors, or publicans, which existed in Jesus’ day, Levi was among the group that was most hated, the Mokhsa. They were responsible for collecting duty on all imports and exports (hence Levi’s booth at Capernaum), harbor dues, town dues, and many other nuisance taxes. These men were known for their greed and also for their gross partiality. That is, they would show favor to the wealthy, including the religious leaders, but take advantage of the poor and defenseless. Such a man was Levi; very wealthy, but deeply despised! 2

This very word Mokhsa seems, in its root meaning, to be associated with the ideas of oppression and injustice. Because of this the rabbis forbade publicans from serving either as judges or witnesses. They also said that repentance was especially difficult for tax-gatherers and customs-house officers. That statement has a direct bearing on our text and shows us how Jesus was not bound by rabbinic interpretations of the Mosaic law! In light of all this, you can imagine the astonishment of Jesus’ disciples and the crowd when He says to Levi, “Follow me.” As we noted in Jesus’ healing of the leper, He did not hesitate to break cultural taboos and go against prevailing religious sentiments. This incident reinforces His independence from the religious leaders. It also demonstrates His ability to see beyond the rough exterior of a person and to look into their soul. So Jesus offers Levi a simple invitation, “Follow me.” What did Jesus mean by this invitation? Was it just an invitation to walk behind or beside Jesus to His next destination; to see where Jesus would go and what He would do? No, Jesus was inviting Levi to walk with Him in the Way (capital W), to become one of His disciples. To be fair, we can easily suppose that from his toll-booth near the seaside in Capernaum, Levi must have heard Jesus as he taught the crowds on the shore of Lake Galilee. From his elevated seat he could observe the eager multitudes that thronged Jesus, crisscrossing the lake and following Him from place to place. He saw the long lines of humanity with all kinds of illnesses and disease graciously received and sent away completely whole. And like those who first heard Jesus in the synagogue, Levi most likely “wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of Jesus’ mouth.” And deep in his heart, he embraced the truth. To this man, whose repentance the rabbis proclaimed extremely difficult, Jesus offered His simple invitation; “Follow me.” In the Greek text, Levi’s response in verse 28 contains only 6 words. But those 6 words show the totality of Levi’s acceptance. “He rose up, left everything, and followed Jesus.” My friend, Jesus is still giving that invitation today, no matter what your nationality, your family background, your occupation, or your socio-economic status! Have you, like Levi, rose up, left everything, and followed Jesus; and if not, why not?

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The Next INVITATION is, Levi’s Invitation to His Friends In response to Jesus’ invitation to discipleship, Levi invites Jesus to his house and prepares a lavish banquet. Naturally, he also invites many of his fellow tax-collectors! This man, so long the subject of hatred and suspicion, now has found genuine love and acceptance in the presence of Jesus. Surely, he would want his friends and business acquaintances to share in his new-found freedom; to know that they could experience it too! You know friend, as human beings our greatest need is forgiveness of sin. When that need is met, it brings visible results. For the paralyzed man, whose healing is recorded just previous to our text, forgiveness of sin caused him to “take up his bed and walk.” While he did not become one of Jesus’ inner-circle of 12, he certainly was a disciple. Levi’s forgiveness motivated him to share his both his resources and Jesus’ friendship with his fellow publicans. Levi evidently was a man with a big heart. Think about it; he had just walked away from a very lucrative and secure way of making a living. As long as there was any commerce, there were taxes! While he most likely was a wealthy man with accumulated property, he had no certainty of future income. I believe his generosity gives evidence of the new life he was living. Before, he was cold, calculating, and greedy; now he freely shared what he had (a great feast and a great company of publicans and sinners) without thought of expense. Levi’s example reminds me of an important aspect of salvation: it makes a difference in the focus of our lives and our relationships with other people. Following Jesus calls for a focus on the things He wants, rather than what I want. Following Jesus calls me to use my resources for His honor and glory and for the blessing of others. Following Jesus will enable me to do both of those joyfully. How does your life, and mine, measure up to those important truths?

The Final INVITATION is, Jesus Invitation to Criticism The scribes and the Pharisees considered themselves to be among the few who were worthy of God’s attention. After all, they knew the law and had worked out a strict code of rules and regulations to make sure they did not violate it. The common people, the unlearned, were

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beneath them; their very ignorance made them unclean in the sight of these holy ones. So for Jesus to meet with these sinners opened him up to criticism from the religious leaders. You see, the common people of the day had a certain respect and fear of the Pharisees. Some saw only their outward piety and concluded that they were actually holy men. Other’s respect was more self-serving. They knew that most of these men were wealthy and wielded significant power in their communities. They had the ability to make your life miserable if they wanted to do it. So it was best to at least act like you respected them. That the religious leaders really did not understand the divine realities of grace, mercy, and forgiveness is evident from their question to Jesus’ disciples. “Why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners?” In other words, “If your teacher is holy, why is he associating with these who are unclean?” Don’t you find it interesting that they complained to the disciples, rather than to Jesus? They most likely had not forgotten how Jesus so thoroughly confounded them in the healing of the paralyzed man. Inspired by Satan, they wanted to raise questions in the minds of the disciples. They wanted to drive a wedge between Jesus and His followers. The followers of Jesus were yet in their spiritual infancy; they were not settled in their minds on many questions of faith and righteousness. If the Pharisees had been successful in driving a wedge between Jesus and His followers, it may have grievously injured the cause of Christ. There are religious people today who raise these kinds of criticisms. They see a new disciple, a newborn follower of Jesus zealously desiring to walk in His ways, and they question their sincerity or ridicule their naiveté. It seems that’s what the Pharisees were trying to do here; plant doubts in the minds of the disciples. We’ll see them doing the very same thing with John’s disciples in the next part of this chapter. Evidently, Jesus overheard them asking the question because He spoke directly to their criticism. “Those who are healthy do not need a doctor; only those who are sick. I did not come to invite the righteous, but to invite sinners to repentance. Not all biblical manuscripts have the words “to repentance” on the end of that sentence. Indeed, Jesus was calling sinners to repentance, but He was also calling them to much more than that! He was calling them to Himself and to His kingdom, to become His disciples.

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My friend, have you accepted Jesus’ invitation to you to be one of His followers? The invitation He gave to Levi is still extended today. He’s calling you. He’s saying, “Follow me.” He is inviting you to leave behind your sin, to rise up from the ashes of your sinful past, and follow Him. Oh what freedom, what joy you can experience, just like Levi did. And then you will want to tell your friends how Jesus has set you free! You will want them to experience the incredible blessings you’ve received as a follower of Jesus. You will invite them to listen and learn, to have fellowship with Him. But in doing this you will also surely invite criticism. Not everyone will appreciate your new-found freedom. Your newly cleansed life will make some of your former friends feel the guilt of their sin. They will accuse you of being a do-gooder, a “holier-than-thou” kind of person. And they will refuse to associate with you. That too, is part of the cost of following Jesus. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, I pray for my listening friend just now. I can’t see into their heart, but you can. I pray that your Holy Spirit will search my friend’s heart and reveal to them their need of you. Help him or her to understand that you are inviting them into a personal relationship with you that will result in the forgiveness of their sin, and a new life in Christ. Reinforce in their minds the urgency of the decision, for “today is the day of salvation.” I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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