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 - September 16, 2013

Monday - A New Idea - Strangers to Neighbours

Last week, I shared that a 2005 StatsCan study revealed 61 per cent of rural residents knew all of their neighbours, but only 16 per cent of those living in major urban centres did. This isn’t terribly surprising. Do you have a hard time remembering names in the first place? I certainly do, even though I know I shouldn’t. Sometimes I forget the moment someone tells me…I was too busy thinking about what to say next! But names are important. According to a Lifehacker blog post, “a person's own name is the single most important word to him/her; it is intimately tied to his/her identity as an individual. How you deal with people's names can have a profound effect on their impressions of you: Think about the times you've felt special when someone you admired addressed you by your name in a sincere tone; or think about the times when you've felt belittled when someone negligently called you by the wrong name, or worse, maliciously made fun of your name in front of you.” But something so important is also so easily forgotten. Sometimes it’s physiology, since “names are among the first things to go as our brains begin shrinking — by about half of one per cent annually — starting as early as our thirties.” People come up with all kinds of strategies for remembering names. Personally, I write the name down as soon as I can, since it helps me most to see the name in print somewhere. It works for me, but maybe not you. Question: How well do you remember names? What strategies help you?

From Series: "Won't You Be My Neighbour?"

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