Matthew 9:13
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
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“Birds of the same feather, flock together”. We always try to be careful in choosing our friends or companions. We do this because we do not want to be called a friend of a thief, or of an addict. We try to as much as possible, carry our names with dignity and pride.
But Jesus is different. He even eats with sinners, like tax collectors and prostitutes. The Pharisees assumed that if a person ate with sinners, that person was a sinner, too. Levi was a Jew who worked for the Roman government. He was a tax collector. Tax collectors were reknowned for their dishonesty. Naturally, using our flawed human logic, since Jesus and his disciples ate with such people, Jesus and his disciples were unclean, too.
He ate not only with tax collectors, he ate with sinners in general.
But God’s philosophy should be at work, not ours. We all know that Jesus did this because He wants them to feel the love of God more. He wants them to see that the mercy and forgiveness of God is not only for the just and the “pure” but also for those who will seek His love and forgiveness. The salvation that Jesus offered is for all.
Levi found righteousness in the Son of God. Levi made no assumptions. He saw, he listened, and he believed. He trusted the One sent from God because he trusted God.
May we, too, live by faith, and not by assumption. We are sinners - spend more time with Him, let us follow Him and earn the promise of Heaven.
Let us pray +
Almighty Father, Your Word is life to me and health to my spirit. Jesus Christ is my Lord and I'm a product of His love. I have joy, I have peace. Knowing that I am a sinner, so I seek His love more. Amen +
One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
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