Luke 5:27-29, “27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. 29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them”
If each one of us sat down and evaluated our lives, we would be humbled by the fact that there was nothing attractive about us that would have caused Christ to draw Himself to us. With that said, I look at Levi considered by most scholars as Matthew the tax collector. Tax collectors were widely despised, not only because they served the oppressors of the Jews the Romans, but also because they made a profit by adding their own charges to the established levies. They were classified as unclean publicans and sinners, thieves and traitors.
While Levi (Matthew) was in his office working, Jesus came to meet him, a picture of Christ reaching sinners, calling them to Himself. vs. “28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him”, a new life, set free from the bondage of sin. What he did next is what majority who get saved neglect to do. He did not receive the gift and move on, he turned into an evangelist using something that once condemned him, his office as an opportunity to introduce his once upon a time friends and workmates to Jesus. He used what was within his reach, a rod in his hands just like Moses to free others.
Vs. 29 “Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them”. A great feast for the Master was also used as opportunity to invite others. Levi met a Jew who was willing to call him as an outcast and spend time with him. With no words of his own to share, he did something within his reach and capability that brought about the Savior to meet with his friends who were also outcasts.
We don’t know how many of Matthew’s friends became followers of Jesus as a result of his efforts. Maybe some did and maybe none did. But that’s not really the issue, what’s important is that something happened to Matthew that drove him to act. He became an evangelist in a way that was appropriate to his personality and the situation, He did what he must have known how to do best and that was throw a party with Jesus as the center of the gathering, then pointed everyone to the Savior who had the perfect saving story, His story.
There was nothing special about Matthew. He was a lot like us, an average ordinary 9-5 working guy. All he had was a life transforming experience with Christ, a heart for his lost friends and the guts to try to reach them. And that allowed God to use him in an extraordinary way just as God will use ordinary people like us if we’ll let him. What do you know how to do best that you can use to bring others to Christ? If you are like Matthew who couldn’t speak, create an atmosphere where you can have people come in and have someone point them to Christ. Whatever it takes, Do something, do something, do something. Blessings Evans
He Has Magnified His Word 