Publicans And Prostitutes, Oh My

Luke 5:27–32
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Pastor Randy Smith

A week ago I had a nice afternoon with a friend from the church and our children, looking for the lost town of Amatol deep in the New Jersey Pinelands.

Back in 1918 we were nearing the end of World War I. Our country was running low on TNT for it artillery shells so they came up with a new explosive that combined TNT and ammonium nitrate. The highly explosive chemical was called Amatol. The government located a remote spot in southern Jersey and built a munitions factory and town to support the 10,000+ residents who worked at the plant.

We walked through the Pinelands and found several remnants and foundations of the buildings. What aided us was discovering on the Internet a complete footprint of the location of all the original buildings. The map showed they had a firehouse, cafeteria, school, YMCA and several churches. Several churches were not a surprise, but what jumped out to me was not that the churches were listed by denomination, but also by race. Amongst the churches was one specifically called the “Negro Church.”

As humans we have a natural tendency to write our own script as to what God is and how He expects us to respond and whom He should accept. For instance, God sends all people to heaven. Really? Repentance from sin is not necessary. Really? We can be saved by our good deeds. Really? Abortion is a “sacred blessing.” Really? God is not concerned about how we spend our money. Really? God does not judge and neither should we. Really? I will determine whom God is permitted to love. Really?

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation, which declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebel states “are, and henceforward shall be free.” Amatol was built in a Union State over 50 years later (and while they might not have had slaves) they did have segregation, segregation obviously approved by the Christians and in all places, their churches.

Spiritually segregating people as those less worthy of God’s acceptance is still a problem today. And while the racial unity is still not where it needs to be, we still segregate people based upon other intangibles (such as wealth, education, attractiveness and convictions) that we might consider impure. We still have a tendency to look down upon others different from us and believe they are less deserving of God’s grace than we are.

The attitude is Pharisaical and this morning we’ll look not at what feelings or culture or tradition thinks is right, but what the Word of God declares as we study the words of Jesus Christ. This morning we’ll go back 2,000 years and look at the attitude of the Pharisees themselves.

Let’s forget all the spiritual labels we put on people. Let’s set aside our self-righteousness – always seeing ourselves in the brightest spiritual light. Let’s ask ourselves if we believe some in society are not worthy of the Savior’s love (as much as we believe we are) and let’s learn about the ones whom Jesus reaches out to.

Immediate Love (verse 27)

The first point I am calling, “Immediate Love.”

In verse 27 we read that Jesus “went out and noticed a tax collector” (stop right there).

Tax collectors, also called publicans, are frequently mentioned in the New Testament. As you know, Israel was under Roman domination and the Romans ruled the Jews with an iron fist. They paid their tax collectors to receive from the Jews, money to pay for a good system of roads, law and order, security, religious freedom, etc. There was an annual income for income tax. There were import and export taxes, crop taxes, sales tax, property tax, emergency tax, and more. Sound like today. Sounds like taxation without representation.

The tax collectors for the Romans were usually Jewish and therefore they were hated by their own people. They were viewed as traitors and because of their relationship with Gentile Rome they were treated as unclean and viewed similar to the worst of sinners, prostitutes. Furthermore they were also hated because Rome, after they collected the required tax, also permitted them to demand more money for their own interests. Often these extortionists added on large sums that their own Jewish people were forced to pay. That’s why being a tax collector was forbidden by Jewish law, but many, drawn by the lucrative income ignored the law and thus were highly ostracized by society.

While most the Jews and the religious leaders would have nothing to do with these men, verse 27 says Jesus “noticed” one in particular. You feel unloved? You ashamed of your past? You feel like an outcast to the world? There is never an excuse when coming to the Lord. There is a place in the heart of Jesus for you!

Verse 27 goes on to say the man was “sitting in the tax booth.” Historians will tell us that he was probably a “customs official,” the more hated of the two types of tax collectors. Verse 27 also says the man’s name was “Levi.” When we compare that name with the many lists that identify Jesus’ 12 disciples, we can conclude that this is the man that we more commonly know as Matthew. Levi was his birth name and Matthew was his post-conversion name. It’s similar to what we saw two weeks ago with Simon and then the name change to Peter.

A couple months ago a young girl was cutting my hair and after our conversation expressed an interest in visiting our church. Yet her first question was wondering if she would be welcome because she had tattoos. I asked her why she asked that question and she told me that a Bible church she attended in the past shunned her presence.

So a young woman is turned away from the faith because she has something that is not forbidden under the New Covenant? I am not talking about our personal convictions. I am talking about someone that felt unwanted and unworthy among the people of God because of a cultural preference of some.

Levi was despised sinner. In his case, there was a lot of sin to go around. This was a man that people not only ignored, but also intentionally shunned and despised. But Jesus takes the initiative as says to him, verse 27, “Follow Me.” What a radical call! Not only that Jesus would receive one of the most notorious sinners in the land, but that He would call this man to follow Him.

Also, it’s one thing to say, “Follow God.” It’s one thing to say, as did the Rabbi’s, “Follow God’s Law.” It’s quite another to say, Follow Me” with the implication that following Him was following God. Obeying Him is obeying God. As I was reading this week from Mark 8, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mk. 8:35).

Immediate Fruit (verses 28–29)

Well, how did Levi respond? Please note (as we move to the second point) it was immediate obedience. As we have been observing in our study in Luke, when Jesus calls us to be His disciples He expects us to acknowledge His lordship and submit to Him in full obedience. Oftentimes the decision to do that will be costly, but it gives evidence that we really love Him, trust Him and want to honor Him with our lives. It gives evidence that He is truly working in our lives. Look at how radical was Levi’s obedience.

LEAVING

First, verse 28 says, “And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.”

Remember the immediate obedience of Peter from two weeks ago? Fishing had concluded for the day. Nets washed. They were fishing all night and caught nothing. Mentally discouraged. Physically exhausted – up all night. And Jesus a professional carpenter tells these professional fishermen to go out again during the less ideal daytime hours. Remember 5:5? “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets” (Lk. 5:5).

Now, what about Levi? Working in a sinful occupation. Called by Jesus to follow Him. Is it acceptable to live in that lifestyle, cheat people and still claim to be a follower of Christ? But it was his livelihood! What we see here is the call from Jesus and immediate obedience. Verse 28 again, “And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.”

There are no calculations made by Levi. He didn’t leave when another job came up. He didn’t leave when he was financially stable. He didn’t resort to part-time employment at the tax booth. He knew that walking away from the Romans meant no return. It’s the Word of God, acknowledgment of sin and immediate obedience, oftentimes not knowing where the path leads, but trusting the One who leads when we obey Him.

Do you see a very important model here? Jesus welcomes and accepts sinners, but He does not permit them to stay in their sin.

Few Christians and churches can balance this correctly. It’s not excluding sinners from the grace of God on one end, but then total tolerance, no judging, acceptance of everything on the other end. It’s all are welcome as they are, but when you come change is expected. Or it’s not clean yourself up before God will accept you, but when God accepts you He will clean you up. Or it’s God loves sinners, but He loves them too much to keep them sinners. Or as I like to say, God’s doesn’t clean His fish before He catches them, but after He catches them He always immediately starts cleaning them.

I believe it is a good time to ask you brothers and sisters, is there sin in your life that you are managing, ignoring or tolerating or even worse, enjoying? The repentant call from verse 28 is clear – leave all that goes against the Lord’s will, regardless of the cost and follow Him. Are you “all in”?

GATHERING

Not only did Levi leave, but he also gathered. Verse 29, “And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.”

I love this! Levi turned from His sin, but (like Jesus) he did not turn his back on sinners. This is such a demonstration of His love for Jesus! So passionate for His Savior, so unashamed of His Master, he gathers all his friends at his house and introduces them to Jesus. Again, true salvation that results in immediate repentance and immediate evangelism. It happened naturally! He wanted those whom he loves to experience Jesus as well. He was already fulfilling the two greatest commandments – love for Jesus and love for others!

Now let’s remember, Levi would have been barred not only from the community, but all religious activities. According to the Jewish law, the only people permitted to be with tax collectors were other tax collectors and prostitutes – bottom of the barrel. And who does Levi invite over according to verse 29? A “great crowd” of “tax collectors” and “other people.” The Pharisee in verse 30 specify the “other people” as “tax collectors and sinners.” It was a general term, but sinners often specially referred to prostitutes. These were the only people that Levi associated with. There are other only people that would have attended his party. And these are the very people that Jesus joins that evening.

Immediate Correction (verses 30–32)

As we go to the third point we have to realize that the Pharisees, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, were now following Him wherever He went. Last week we saw they grumbled to themselves (Lk. 5:21-22). Now we see them getting more audible.

Verse 30, “The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?’”

The Pharisees get a bad rap, and they should. But we must understand that their intentions were noble. You see, they knew that Israel was God’s chosen people, called to be separate from sin and devoted to the Lord. Their name meant “separate ones.” They wanted to keep the Jews from paganism. They felt it was their call to keep the Jews from being contaminated by the heathen. So they took the Old Testament with years of traditions and came up with their own codified set of rules that they believed the Israelites were to follow. It was basically rigid conformity to man-made rules that primarily revolved around outward appearance.

Specifically in this case, you would be spiritually contaminated if you associated with sinners, especially sinners such as these. And moreover, eating with them implied intimate fellowship, religious compatibility. And that’s where we find Jesus. He’s the honored guest with these unclean heathen ! The Pharisees were absolutely floored! And they take up their grumbling concern not with Jesus, but with His disciples.

There is a major conflict here! It’s man’s rules verses God’s rules. It’s outward appearance verses heart attitude. It’s self-righteousness verses humility. It’s Jesus verses the religion of the Pharisees. And we see it outlined so well elsewhere by Luke between the same two parties of chapter 5.

It’s Jesus in chapter 7 with a Pharisee named Simon and a prostitute: “Turning toward the woman, [Jesus] said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little’” (Lk. 7:44-47).

It’s Jesus in chapter 18 with a Pharisee and tax collector: “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk. 18:11-14).

Who are we to place limitations on whom God can save? Are our sins any less offensive? That is the self-righteousness of the Pharisees. And the point here is that it’s the self-righteous that do not seek salvation in Jesus because they think they’ve already earned it. They stand on the outside looking in while Jesus is receiving “sinners.” That is the moral of the story.

Verse 31, “And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.’”

It’s a very simple question. Two men for example have cancer. One thinks he’s fine and the other knows he needs help. Which one will consult a doctor? Cancer may only affect some, yet sin affects everyone. So two men are corrupt with sin. One thinks he’s fine and the other knows he needs help. Which one will seek forgiveness from a Savior?

Who will seek out a Savior? The self-righteous that think they are already acceptable before God or the sinner who knows he has no hope, but also knows there is a Savior that does not put limitations on the ones He saves. These are the ones that come because these are the ones that Jesus calls. Verse 32, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” And this irritates the self-righteous people like the Pharisees because they want a God who pats them on the back when what we really need is a God who offers mercy.

No one is beyond the Lord’s grace. We all need a Savior. All sinners are welcome in His presence without discrimination. But those who are then called to be His disciples must devote themselves entirely to Him. Jesus associates with sinners not to “party” with them, but to (verse 32) call them to repentance. Levi repented and as we know, “Matthew” was used mightily for the Lord.