Having begun His earthly ministry, and having performed several miracles along the way, Jesus called Levi to follow Him.

Levi was a publican, a Jewish man who had taken on the role of tax collector for the Roman government. For most Jews in Israel at the time, there was no lower life form. To the Pharisees, if a man became a publican, he had sold out his portion of Israel’s inheritance and his stake in the Kingdom of God. To the Pharisees, publicans could never be saved and would never go to Heaven.

Being cast out of Jewish society, many publicans took to self-indulgence and sinful lifestyles, which is why you often see sinners and publicans mentioned in the same sentences in the New Testament.

So, here you have Levi. Named after the son of Jacob who became the father of the Levitical tribe. Levi’s tribal namesake was responsible for the upkeep of the Tabernacle in the Old Testament, and for the upkeep of the Temple in Jesus’ day. The Levites were given six cities in which to live, cities that became “cities of refuge” for those trying to escape retribution from accusations over fatal accidents.

But, even with all this heritage, Levi sits at the receipt of custom, alienated from his countrymen, and a friend to sinners and other publicans.

And it was in that state that Jesus called Him to be a disciple, and Levi happily followed. He would later be renamed “Matthew,” which is a variation of the Greek word for “disciple.”

Having been called to be a disciple of Jesus, Levi holds a dinner for his sinner and publican friends. And in this passage, we see the mission of Christ on full display.

Levi’s plight reminds us of who we are, sinners who are irredeemable without the grace and mercy of God. We see what God did, in sending Jesus Christ to redeem us from sin. And, we see the proper response to the Gospel, which is repentance and faith.