The Call of Levi and What It Means for Us
Jesus was a good neighbor. As we look at Luke 5:27-32, we see Jesus walking around, getting to know people, and calling them to follow Him. This passage isn’t just about Jesus calling Levi—it’s about Jesus calling you and me to follow Him too.
What Is Our Greatest Need?
In Luke 5, Jesus encounters a tax collector named Levi sitting at his booth. Jesus simply says, “Follow me,” and remarkably, Levi immediately gets up, leaves everything behind, and follows Jesus.
What need does this story reveal? Jesus answers this question Himself in verses 31-32: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
The greatest need is salvation. It’s repentance and faith. It’s:
Humility toward ourselves
Trust in Jesus
Recognition that we don’t have it all together, but Jesus does
Throughout centuries, Christians have recognized that while food, water, shelter, and peace are important needs, the greatest need is salvation in Christ. Even in our modern world, people are beginning to wake up to the idea that there might be something more than what we can see—and that something might be Jesus.
Who Needs Jesus?
The simple answer: everyone. In verses 29-30, we see that “Levi made him a great feast in his house. And there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at the table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?'”
This passage reveals two groups:
The tax collectors and sinners who recognized their need for Jesus
The Pharisees who thought they were righteous and had no need
Tax collectors were despised in Jewish society. They were Jews working for Romans, profiting off loopholes and collecting through the system. They were wealthy, conniving, and selfish. Yet Jesus chose to eat with them.
The Pharisees help clarify who needs the Gospel when Jesus responds, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” The truth is, everyone in that house was a sinner in need of salvation—except Jesus Himself. There is only one who was truly righteous.
Why Do Churches Sometimes Miss This Truth?
Unfortunately, churches can sometimes forget this fundamental truth. In the 19th century, one evangelist brought his poor, poorly clothed, and dirty recent converts to church. These former thieves, drunks, and vagrants walked in hesitantly, and the established churchgoers looked down their noses in judgment.
So many of these converts were so unwelcomed that William and Catherine Booth created an entire organization—the Salvation Army—because the established church failed to welcome those who had been called to Christ.
This should challenge us: Would we welcome someone who completely disagreed with us or looked different from us? Jesus had an openness to sinners and tax collectors—so much so that He was attacked for it.
The Warning to Those Who Think They Have No Need
There’s a warning in Revelation 3:17 to the church at Laodicea: “For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, I need nothing,’ not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”
This is a warning to those who think they’re okay, who don’t believe they have any needs anymore. When we think we have no needs, we become like the Pharisees—judging others and putting them down out of arrogance.
How Levi’s Life Changed After Meeting Jesus
Levi’s story doesn’t end with him simply following Jesus. This tax collector—this “sleazy slime bucket” as some might have called him—became a disciple immediately. The verb used in the text indicates that he made an immediate decision with long-lasting impact.
In fact, Levi is Matthew—the same Matthew who wrote the Gospel. As commentator R. Kent Hughes notes, “This covetous ripoff artist would become, as his name suggested, a gift of God to his people.” Levi (meaning “joined”) became Matthew (meaning “gift of God”) and followed Jesus.
How Do We Meet Our Need for Jesus?
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” This is how we meet our need.
We have two options:
Follow the paralytic and Levi—recognize our need, get up, and come to Christ
Follow the Pharisees—stand in judgment, thinking we have no need
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” There are many lifestyles and ways people try to connect with God, but Jesus is the only way.
We can see God’s glory in creation—in beautiful sunsets that declare His handiwork. But the Bible specifically explains why He sent His Son. Our need is Jesus Himself, and we meet that need by humbly repenting of our sin and recognizing our inability to have a relationship with God without Jesus as the mediator.
Life Application
Don’t you want your neighborhood to be more flourishing and hopeful? Don’t you want your community to be a place that’s not only beautiful but full of hope and hospitality?
This week, consider these questions:
Am I more like the Pharisee who thinks I have no need, or like Levi who recognized his need for Jesus?
How can I respond to Jesus’ call to follow Him more fully this week?
Is there someone in my life I’ve been judging rather than welcoming as Jesus would?
The words of a popular hymn remind us: “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling.” And another: “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Coming to church, giving to good causes, and doing good deeds are all valuable. But only Jesus can wash away our sin and make us whole again. This week, listen for His call and be ready, like Levi, to get up and follow Him.
