Jesus Ate with Sinners

March 12

Jesus approached Levi as he sat in the tax office and invited him to follow Him. Immediately, Levi got up and followed Jesus, perhaps leaving money on the table.

So, who was Levi? The name is Hebrew. We don’t know when he changed his name, but Levi was Matthew—the disciple who wrote the Gospel account we just completed a few days ago on March 8.

Now, given the Hebrew name, we can assume that we have a Jewish man working for the Roman government to collect taxes from fellow Jews. That puts him in an uncomfortable position. Tax collectors were regarded by the Jews as no better than the Gentiles and thieves. Perhaps one reason for this is that tax collectors sometimes lined their pockets with a little “gratuity” tacked on to the amount they were authorized to collect from their own people.

Some of the tax collectors came to John the Baptizer, asking how they should live after responding to his call of repentance. John told them to not collect more than they had been authorized. (Luke 3:13) Proverbs 28:8a–“Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit,”—can relate to tax collectors making money dishonestly.

Later, while spending time at Levi’s home, the Jewish leaders insincerely voiced their concern that Jesus was associating with “despicable” people such as tax collectors and sinners, not knowing that Jesus was ministering to the people who realized their brokenness and lostness—people who would likely never be influenced by these leaders to pursue a relationship with God. We already saw in John 6 (January 8) that the Father draws those whom He will. These tax collectors and sinners either already realized (or soon would realize) their need for a Savior. The Jewish leaders had not.

Application

Many Christians today use this example of Jesus’ eating with sinners as a license to do the same, not realizing that as Jesus spent time with them, they became like Him. He never became like them.

It’s interesting to consider that if someone comes to Jesus, he/she often begins to associate less and less with old friends. That can be a really good thing as younger, weaker Christians can be easily influenced by lost friends. That’s the positive. However, the negative is that by withdrawing from old friends, less influence will be exercised on them. And, who better to reach these people than someone who knew them intimately and whose life has now been radically changed by Jesus?

Unfortunately, those of us who have walked a few miles down the road of faith are often more like the Jewish leaders than we would like to admit. We often look down our noses and point our self-righteous fingers at lost people, and even less mature Christians. We need to remember that we can’t expect lost people to not act or have attitudes like lost people. That’s their normal condition. It is only as people are transformed by the life of Jesus coursing through their spiritual veins that they can ever be changed.

Who can you pray for today who needs to hear about Jesus? And who can you pray for who needs to be encouraged to love and good works in their faith? (Hebrews 10:24–25)

Finally, how can you be involved in answering your own prayers for these people?

© Copyright 2026 Craig Beaman