Jesus’
calling of Levi or Matthew in Luke 5 and the circumstances that follow are a
message to the world about why Jesus came and a message to the church about who
we are to be in the world.
In
Luke 5:27 Jesus encounters Levi at his tax booth and He invites Levi to follow
Him. Levi left everything and followed Jesus.
Levi
is one of the most unlikely people for Jesus to invite to follow Him & also
one of the most unlikely people to accept the invitation and follow Him.
Levi
as a tax collector was working for the Roman government and was more focused on
material wealth than on God. Jews did not become tax collectors to grow their
faith in God. They did it to become wealthy.
Tax
collectors were hated by other Jews because they were working for the hated Romans
and because they tended to cheat their fellow Jews as they collected the taxes.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is about not judging who Jesus calls to follow
Him but accepting all who do as brothers and sisters in Jesus.
In
Luke 5:29 Levi hosts a big dinner party for Jesus and his friends. Now, the
only friend a Jewish tax collector has are other tax collectors. Jesus was
eating and relating to these “sinful” tax collectors.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is about letting Jesus use us in unusual
circumstances that take us out of our comfort zones and may cause others to
look at us strangely.
In
Luke 5:30 the religious leaders grumbled about Jesus eating and drinking with
these tax collectors and sinners.
The
religious leaders saw these tax collectors as sinners and would not associate
with them. The religious leaders were too holy to rub elbows with these kinds
of people.
Notice
that the religious leaders did not go and complain to Jesus but to His
disciples. They were religious but lacked compassion and courage.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is about going where the lost are and showing
compassion and boldness to share the gospel with whoever they are.
In
Luke 5:31-32 Jesus shares with the religious leaders and His disciples why He
came into the world.
Jesus
says that it is not the well who need a doctor, but those who are sick.
When
we feel good and don’t have any known health issues, we don’t see the need to
go to a doctor. But when we are sick, we feel physically bad or have pain, we
seek out a doctor. The more we are aware of our sickness the quicker we want to
get to a doctor. If the sickness or pain is very intense, we will go to an
emergency room.
Jesus
is using this illustration to show that only those who are aware of sin and see
their need for a Savior would be willing to come to Him, and that is who He
came for.
In
Luke 5:32 Jesus puts it very plainly. He says, “I have not come to call the righteous
but sinners to repentance.”
Jesus
did not come to call the righteous or the self-righteous. Those who do not
recognize their sin and don’t see that they have a need for a Savior. Jesus
came to call sinners. Those who see their sin and know they are sinners and
acknowledge their need for a Savior.
In
Matthew 5:3 Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.”
When
we recognize and acknowledge that we are spiritually bankrupt, we will seek out
Jesus as Savior and then we will be part of God’s kingdom.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is about acknowledging our sin and turning to
Jesus as Savior to receive forgiveness.
In
another encounter with a tax collector in Luke 19, Jesus says in verse 10 that
He came to seek and save the lost. The church is to be about reaching out to
the lost, no matter who there are.
Acknowledging
our sin and our need for Jesus as our Savior and surrendering our lives to Him
does not lead to defeat but it leads to victory.
Acknowledging My Need
for Jesus as my Savior I Will Be
Raising the Roof and
Removing the Walls,
Joe
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