Sermon Tone Analysis

Calling Levi

Capernaum, along one of the most important trade routes of the ancient world, Herod was collecting taxes for the Roman government: to build infrastructure, to “keep the peace” with soldiers, and to facilitate emperor worship.

The Jews bristled at these tax collectors.

They were worse than the Romans.

They were traitors, working with the enemy, facilitating idolatry… And most of them were extortion artists.

Getting rich by tacking on a little extra here and there.

And here comes a Jewish Rabbi, teaching people about the kingdom of God.

And instead of condemning, berating… Jesus says to Levi, “Follow Me!”

Levi either already had a relationship with Jesus OR Jesus knew what was in his heart and character - A longing for something more; a desire for a life of meaning; an understanding of the messianic prophecies in the Hebrew scriptures.

Confronted with a life-changing call - FOLLOW ME, Levi stops, closes his tax drawer, cleans out his office and follows Jesus.

No questions asked.

When Matthew tells this story, he tells us that Matthew LEFT EVERYTHING.

Christ’s Method Alone

Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people.

The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good.

He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence.

Then He bade them, “Follow Me.”

Over the next three weeks, as we head toward LOVESLO Day (March 24) and Easter the next weekend, we’re going to stop and take a look at Jesus among the people:

Mingled - contact

Desired their good - camaraderie

Showed sympathy - compassion

Ministered to their needs - commitment

Won confidence - confidence

Bade “Follow Me” - calling

Mingled - Contact

The first thing we see after Matthew starts following Jesus is that he invites Jesus to his home.

Many Bible commentaries say this didn’t happen right away, but was a few months after Matthew’s call.

Luke tells us that Levi “made a great banquet” and that Jesus and the disciples were there eating with the sinners and tax collectors.

And we see back in our text in Mark that “there were many” of these tax collectors and sinners “who followed him.”

Desired their Good - Camaraderie

These sinners and tax collectors could tell that Jesus was different!

Jesus didn’t merely tolerate them or see them as a project.

Jesus actually liked them and wanted to be with them.

Jesus joked with them and ate with them and loved them.

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Here we see Jesus daring to be seen associating with sinners.

And he gets called on the carpet for it.

But the great thing is that he’s okay with that.

Why?

Because it gives him yet another opportunity to teach people about the love of God and to show it in a way that everyone could relate to.

It’s easy to say that God loves everybody.

It’s another thing to hang out around people that you’re not always comfortable around simply because God loves them.

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In this passage, I think we can find four habits of Jesus that are actually exhibited throughout the gospels.

These habits excited some and bugged others.

But they all served to glorify the Father and expand the kingdom of God.

Here at the SLO Adventist Church, we are tasked with the mission of “becoming the presence of Christ in our community.”

So we’re going to spend the next few weeks looking at what kind of presence Jesus had in his community.

Let’s get started, shall we? Here’s the first habit we find:

Jesus called all kinds of people

I wonder what kind of reaction Jesus got from the other disciples when Jesus walked up to Matthew?

I wonder if they were thinking, "This’ll be good - Jesus’ll give him the old ’what for!’"

And then, to their shock, amazement, and maybe even horror, they hear Jesus utter the words of invitation.

"Follow me."

Jesus called fishermen, tax collectors, and even a Zealot - a person who was dedicated to the violent overthrow of Rome.

Can you imaging HIS reaction when he first met Matthew?

There is no place in Scripture where Jesus asked for a guy’s spiritual or career credentials before becoming his follower.

He didn’t call spiritual giants to be his followers.

I don’t know about you, but I’m awful glad about that.

That not only gives me hope for myself, it gives me hope for some of you, too!

He called all kinds of people.

Here’s another habit we find in our passage...

Jesus "hung around" all kinds of people

Jesus could hang out with the rich and the poor, the religious leaders and, as we see in this passage today, those who weren’t particularly religious.

Verse 15 -

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples.

And this caused no end of scandal.

It got him into trouble more than once, as we see from

What attracted all these "sinful" people to the holiest man of all time, Jesus?

It was his willingness to be with them!

There is a mind-set among some Christians and especially Adventists that says we should insulate ourselves from the world (even from other Christians) so we don’t get polluted by their sin.

Too often this has been the reason we put our kids in Christian schools - to keep them away from the world.

We know that you get a reputation from the company you keep.

That “water finds its own level.”

After all, the Bible does say, in 1 Corinthians 15:33 -

"Bad company corrupts good character."

And there is some wisdom in being sure you’re not influenced by things that can easily drag you down.

So Jesus did all the influencing - he never allowed the world to influence him.

But unless you’re ready to move into a cave somewhere to avoid contact with people, you will be in situations where you will have the opportunity to influence people.

And by the way, there is nothing in Scripture that supports a lifestyle of avoidance of people who need Jesus.

In fact, the overarching teaching of Jesus is that rather than shrink from society, we’re to invade and impact it.

If we aren’t willing to be around people who need Jesus, then how will they hear the good news of forgiveness, a home in heaven, and a changed life?

As an example of this principle, let me read a portion by Joseph Aldrich, from a message he gave once.

[Education in the Red-Light District, Citation: Joseph Aldrich, "How to Be a Redemptive Person," Preaching Today, Tape No. 113.]

When my wife and I went to Dallas Seminary, we decided we wouldn’t live in the seminary housing.

Instead, we lived in the high-class, red-light district.

If you want to get an introduction to life itself, that’s the place to be.

We made a commitment to take one non-Christian person, couple or individual, out to dinner once a week.

Did we ever get a liberal education.

But what fun; we had people coming to know the Lord right and left in that place, because we simply loved them.

We opened our home to them.

(SermonCentral.com

- Contributed by: A. Todd Coget)

By and large, these types of people won’t be coming to church, because they see the church as out of date, irrelevant, and uncaring, sometimes even part of the problem.

So we have to be the church to them.

In other words, we need to display the love of Christ to them.

Where do we do this?

In the workplace, in your natural relationships, on the golf course, in your interactions with other parents of your kids’ sports teams, in how you interact with the sales clerks, and even how you drive.

Don’t get me started about how I see some people drive - especially those with little fish stickers on their car...

But folks, let me just say this as we get ready to move on to the third habit of Jesus.

Jesus was a friend of sinners.

What about you?