Sinners Welcome: The Heart of Jesus' Ministry

(#21) Lessons from Luke 5:27-32

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Dear Readers, this guest post is by my friend Chris Storms. Chris has been involved with Young Life Ministries and is actively involved in his church where he has served for over thirty years. Give Chris a warm welcome by commenting on this post.

Devotional: Luke 5:27-32

Today, we’re reading another eyewitness account of Jesus. Previously, we saw how Jesus forgave a paralyzed man’s sins, which outraged the Pharisees because they recognized this as a claim to divinity.

While, today we know from scripture that Jesus is Emmanuel, “God with us”, living the the first century, it’s understandable how the Pharisees would find a man who claimed to be God deeply offensive and a threat to their religion as they perceived it.

To understand their perspective, we need to look at some history in the region. In 152 BC, Alexander, the Greek ruler over Israel, appointed a man named Jonathan as both governor and high priest, blurring political and religious lines. In response, a group of religious leaders separated themselves to focus on strict adherence to Hebrew scripture.

Over time, they became the Pharisees, who saw themselves as protectors of Jewish faith. While they believed in the coming Messiah, Jesus didn’t fit the mold they were anticipating. The result was a constant clash between Jesus and these religious “protectors of the faith”.

After healing the paralyzed man, Jesus encounters Levi (Matthew), a tax collector:

“After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.” - Luke 5:27-28

We’re invited to approach this passage with curiosity. Did Levi know Jesus before this moment? Perhaps he’d heard about Jesus’ recent miracles. Maybe they had prior conversations. Regardless, Levi makes a life-altering decision to follow him.

Interestingly, while we’re told Levi left “everything,” the next verse adds nuance:

“Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.” - Luke 5:29

Levi leaves behind his self-serving lifestyle but still uses his home and resources to host a banquet, inviting his friends—tax collectors and sinners—to meet Jesus. This demonstrates repentance: turning from sin and redirecting one’s life toward God. Levi doesn’t keep his relationship with Jesus private but shares it with others.

The Pharisees, however, are critical!

“But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” - Luke 5:30

Their question stems from a tradition of protecting Jewish faith from corruption, but their efforts had devolved into self-righteousness. They failed to see their own sinfulness, focusing instead on the faults of others. Jesus responds with irony.

“Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” - Luke 5:31-32

Here, Jesus challenges the Pharisees’ belief that they are “righteous.” He emphasizes that all of us, religious or not, are sinners in need of repentance. The Pharisees’ outward piety masked their sinful hearts, while Levi openly turned to Jesus and invited others to do the same.

Two key takeaways:

1. Jesus meets us in our sin. He doesn’t require us to clean ourselves up before coming to him. Transformation begins when we respond to his call.

2. Jesus calls us to repentance. While Jesus loves sinners, he doesn’t condone or accept sin. His love compels him to call us away from sin and into a transformed life.

Like Levi, we’re invited to leave behind our old life, turn to Jesus, and experience the new life he offers. And, we should be compelled to introduce others to Jesus, as well!

---