After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him. 29 Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them. 30 The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus said to them in reply, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”
At the beginning of Lent, the Church gives this reading because Lent is a season of conversion, and Levi’s response shows what conversion looks like: he leaves what he must leave behind and follows Jesus.
Jesus sees “a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post” and says, “Follow me” (v. 27). Tax collectors were widely despised, because they worked within the system of Roman rule and because the work was often linked with greed and abuse. Luke does not pause to defend Levi or excuse him. He shows what matters: Jesus calls him, and Levi responds. Luke does not describe a long conversation or negotiation. Luke does not describe a long conversation or negotiation. In the same way, other call scenes in the Gospels emphasize the decisive character of discipleship (Mk. 1:16-20; Mt. 4:18-22; Jn. 1:35-39).
Levi’s response is equally direct: “leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him” (v. 28). Luke repeats this theme elsewhere to show what it means to follow Jesus with an undivided life. Conversion involves a real change of direction. Levi’s action is visible and costly. He leaves his post, his routine, and the security of what he already knows. He will later record Jesus’ words about letting go of possessions for the sake of the kingdom (Lk. 12:33; 14:33; 18:22). Luke’s point is not that created goods are evil, but that discipleship requires placing everything under the Lord’s claim so the disciple is free to obey. Luke places this early in Jesus’ ministry to show what repentance looks like when it is sincere.
Then Levi gives “a great banquet” for Jesus in his house (v. 29). Luke often uses meals to show what fellowship with God is meant to be. Here, Levi’s first public act as a follower is hospitality. A “large crowd of tax collectors and others” recline at table with Jesus and his disciples (v. 29). The table becomes a public sign that something has changed. Levi is no longer defined by his former life. He is gathered around Jesus, and he draws others into that same encounter. In the wider Gospel tradition, Jesus’ table fellowship repeatedly becomes a flashpoint, because it makes visible the wideness of his mercy (Mk. 2:15-17; Mt. 9:10-13; see also Lk. 15:1-2).
That is why “the Pharisees and their scribes” complain, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” (v. 30). The complaint is not merely about food. It is about who belongs among God’s people, and on what terms. It raises a deeper question: is holiness protected mainly by separation, or does God’s mercy go out to heal and restore?. Luke will return to that same tension later when Jesus is criticized for receiving sinners (Lk. 15:1-2) and when he seeks out those who are socially despised (Lk. 19:1-10).
Jesus answers with a familiar image that interprets the whole scene: “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do” (Lk. 5:31). A physician goes where help is needed. Jesus’ mission is directed toward those who recognize their need for healing. Jesus goes where sin has damaged lives, not to excuse sin, but to heal the sinner. Luke then records the point plainly: “I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners” (v. 32). Lent begins with this line because Lent is ordered toward repentance. The season is not a time for comparing ourselves to others. It is a time for repentance, which Scripture consistently links to a real turning of life back to God (e.g., Ezek. 18:30-32; Acts 2:38). Levi’s “leaving everything behind” shows what repentance looks like when it takes hold of a person’s choices, not only their feelings.
Lord Jesus, you called Levi in the middle of his old life. Call me with the same clarity. Give me the grace to leave what I must leave behind, to rise, and to follow you with a repentant heart. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), Lk 5:27-32.
- NABRE Bible notes, Lk 5:27-32.
- Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of Luke, pp. 116-117.
- New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990), Luke, p. 693, para. 79.
- Navarre Bible: St. Luke’s Gospel, pp. 257-268.
- Paulist Biblical Commentary (2018), Luke, pp. 1051-1052.
- The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century (2020), Luke, p. 1312.
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