Christ came to seek sinner

Gospel

Luke 5:27-32

Jesus comes not to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance

Jesus noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting by the customs house, and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything he got up and followed him.

In his honour Levi held a great reception in his house, and with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples and said, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus said to them in reply, ‘It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.’

Reflection: Jesus deliberately seeks out Levi, a tax collector despised for his collaboration with Roman occupiers and corruption. His call is transformative; Levi leaves everything and immediately responds with joyful hospitality for fellow outcasts. Jesus’s mission is shockingly clear: He is a physician for the spiritually sick, not a rewarder of the self-righteous. This challenges our comfort zones, reminding us that God’s grace is not earned by our merit but is a merciful gift extended to those who recognize their need.

Question: Who in my life or community do I unconsciously see as “beyond” God’s grace or unworthy of my fellowship?

Prayer: Merciful God, turn my heart from self-righteous judgment. Help me to see others with your eyes of compassion, to welcome the outcast, and to humbly remember my own constant need for your healing grace. Amen.

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