And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them. As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, "Follow Me!" And he got up and followed Him.
Levi (in other gospels called Matthew—Matthew 9:9) was called in the same way as the other disciples. He was at his place of work where he was employed by the Romans. Levi was not a major “tax-gatherer”, but only a lowly toll-collector, who collected people’s tolls as they were using a Roman road. Levi was not cheating other people in his tax-gathering, but he was still considered a “sinner” and evil by Jewish society at large. Jesus, though, saw in him the makings of a prophet of God’s kingdom, and so he called him to leave his job and to follow him. Levi didn’t give two weeks notice—he just left. Again, this was unacceptable, but an indication of his faith in Jesus.
Jesus specifically targeted those in unacceptable professions-- tax collectors and prostitutes. Yet if a prostitute walked into our churches, we would immediately judge her. We should be the first people welcoming the felons, the drug dealers, and those who make pornography. We should give them the same opportunity for renewal and repentance that Jesus did. We need more ministries like XXXchurch.
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