Today we’ll explore the story of a time Jesus became friends with someone unexpected:

After this Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.

And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. – Luke 5:27-29 ESV

Tax collectors were collaborators with the oppressive Roman government.  They were known for taking some off the top, or extorting and pocketing extra taxes from people.

People like that are usually careful about who they associate with.  They get to positions of power through taking advantage of others, by being crafty and independent, or using people for profit.

But there is something about Levi’s encounter with Jesus that changes all that.  After meeting Jesus, Levi has his coworkers over to dinner.  All the other collaborators and extortioners come to his place.  He knows what they’re like, maybe they will steal.  Or will they see some of his belongings, or family members, and use it against him in blackmail and extortion?

Why would he put himself at risk like that?

Because they suddenly matter to him more than just partners at work.

Because of Jesus, now they’re friends.  Not just obstacles or opportunities.  They are people he can feed and host.

The passage says Levi left everything and followed Jesus.  It clearly doesn’t refer to all his material possessions – he still has a house and means to throw a big feast.  This saying represents a spiritual about-face as he leaves behind his old way of life.

Research shows that vulnerability is key to friendships.  Levi does this, he leaves himself dangerously open to dangerous people.  He has them over and shares a meal with them.

This was even more significant in this culture – table fellowship indicated you were on the same page spiritually with others. You broke bread together, and legally became a religious fellowship.    Jews didn’t eat with non-Jews, for that reason.  Levi is Jewish, as is Jesus, but Levi is a Roman collaborator who would be dealing with non-Jews all the time, and regularly breaking the law by extorting fees from Jewish brothers.

We’ll learn more tomorrow about how people reacted.

Question: Why do you think Levi invites his co-workers over to supper with Jesus?  What’s he doing for them, for himself, and for Jesus?

Ryan Sim - February 6, 2014

Thursday - Act On It - Reset: Money

We’re looking at how following Jesus impacts our view of money. I sat in Chapters a couple weeks ago, next to some guys talking about motorcycles. They all rode one kind of bike or another, and were talking about insurance, alarms and more. One man was about to sell his house, and wanted to use the profit, all of it, to buy his dream bike. His friend got upset, and said, this is because you’re single. I could never spend like that with a wife and kids, I have too many responsibilities. The motorcycle buyer said, “I Know, there are a lot of better ways I could spend the money, too, but this is my dream bike, I just have to have it”. These guys had significantly different values about money. Partly this is because of their different experiences – the guy with a family had to change his spending habits to support something more important than his dream bike. I do have to wonder, though, if this will remain his buddy’s dream bike, or if there’ll be a new dream in five, then, twenty years while this one sits in the garage. Or what happens when he can’t ride anymore, and has to sell a depreciated bike. Will this still be his dream, or is the dream always changing? In yesterday’s passage of scripture, Paul uses the same language Jesus is known for using – he refers to storing up treasure in heaven, instead of on earth. In other words, we need to dream bigger dreams than motorcycles and vacations. They’re not bad in and of themselves, but when they become our dream, prioritized over all else, we’ve made them into our ultimate good, and that’s very bad for us. A few weeks ago, I defined sin in this way, as when we take something good, make it our ultimate good, and that is ultimately bad for us. We free ourselves from slavery to false, empty and fluctuating dreams by gaining and saving in order to give generously. In our series on Becoming Like Family, we talking about three ways to give: to Christian ministries like Redeem the Commute, to other work consistent with God’s kingdom values, and to save in order to directly help friends and family in need. Challenge: Write, sketch, or imagine God’s dream for you in his kingdom. What lasting impact has he positioned you to make on the world? What financial changes would you have to make to do it?

Related Topics: Dreams, Kingdom, Money, Priorities, Reset | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

From Series: "Reset"

When our computers get bogged down and unmanageable, we know to hit a reset button to simply start over. Wouldn't a reset button be great in life? We know it would be complicated, with all our responsibilities and routines to consider, but imagine the freedom and refreshment of a new start in life! What would you do differently? What would you pay more attention to, and what would you ignore? How would you avoid getting bogged down and broken again? The great news is, in coming to earth as Jesus Christ, God has begun to "reset" our universe, our world, and even us. We're invited to start over with him, in what he calls his kingdom. We're invited to start a new life with a clean slate. What gets wiped clean, and lived differently, when God resets our lives? We'll explore how God resets these key areas of our lives: Reset: Goals Reset: Time Reset: Money Reset: Work Reset: Body & Food Reset: Sex & Marriage Reset: Family Reset: Compassion Reset: Nature Reset: Society Reset: Death Join us for the next several weeks, and invite God to reset your life.

More From "Reset"

Powered by Series Engine