Luke 5:29-30




Levi the tax collector is better known to us as Matthew. There were many kinds of tax at the time. There was a poll tax, which men aged 14 to 65 and women aged twelve to 65 had to pay. There was also a ground tax: one-tenth of all that was grown, and one-fifth of wine and oil, to be paid in kind or in money. And then there was income tax of one percent. However, that was only the start of the taxes and duties that had to be paid. There was a tax payable for the use of roads, harbours and markets, and people using a cart had to pay for each wheel and each animal that pulled it. In short, tax was a complicated and extensive part of life, and tax collectors could become very rich.
Nobody takes great pleasure in paying tax but, at the time, tax collectors were particularly disliked. They worked closely with the hated Roman administration. Consequently, they were barred from attending synagogue and were viewed as the dregs of society, classed together with murderers and robbers. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were at the other end of the social scale. They were respectable and admired for their ritual and spiritual purity. That involved keeping a considerable distance from people as distasteful as tax collectors.




When Jesus called Levi to be one of his disciples, he knew exactly what he was doing. He was declaring that everyone was welcome to follow him. He would have been well aware that it would annoy the Pharisees, but Jesus didn’t merely welcome Levi, he also accepted an invitation to a party where more tax collectors would be present!
To the shocked Pharisees, Jesus simply pointed out that healthy people didn’t need a doctor, only the sick did. He hadn’t come for those who thought they were spiritually healthy, but for those who knew that they were sinners.
I don’t know if you have ever been tempted to divide people up between those who are respectable and those who are not. But remember this: the arms of Jesus are wide open to everyone.




QUESTION
Who would be seen as the dregs of society today, and how can we reach them with the good news of Jesus?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thank you that your arms are open wide to every kind of person. Amen

Released on 20 May 2023