Eating at Levi’s House

What is the lesson we should learn from this story?

He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him. And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
Mark 2:13-17

I heard a sermon yesterday that troubled me. A basic summary of the sermon is that Jesus ate at Levi’s house that was filled with tax collectors and sinners and the Pharisee’s had a fit. The question was raised of who would be a tax collector today. Who would the religious people get uptight about if we or Jesus had dinner with them?

The speaker gave an example of having gone to someone’s birthday party that was at a gay bar. The implication was that a lot of religious people would have a problem with that. I wondered: what if the party was at a strip club? What if there was illegal drug use? Would the speaker feel the same; would he still have gone? Is there something about homosexuality that Christians are afraid to confront? Is there slippage in beliefs that affect us in this area?

He also made another comment about how in his ministry when they are trying to help the homeless get into a home they look at them as a family even if the couple is living together and not married. Several questions went through my mind on that one. What if you provide a home for a single mother and her children and then she wants to have her boyfriend move in because he is like a dad to the kids? What if the two “parents” in this family are of the same sex? Now if all you care about is providing housing, like a government agency, then these questions might not apply. But if you are a Christian ministry then maybe the call to repentance is greater than the need to provide a home. Jesus didn’t seem to have a problem when people turned away because they didn’t like what He demanded of them.

As I thought about the Scripture that the speaker used in his message the thing that really stood out to me was that right before this dinner, Jesus called Levi and Levi followed. I think we can safely assume that the reason Levi invited all of these other tax collectors and sinners to his home was so they could meet Jesus. I don’t think it was a wild party where Jesus was just another person in the crowd, laughing at the off-color humor and having a beer along with everyone else. He was the star of the show. He was in control; He set the tone and as we read later in the scripture, what he was doing was at the party was calling sinners to repentance.

I have heard this Scripture used many times when Christians want to justify hanging out at places and with people that maybe they shouldn’t be around. There is a place for engaging the world on their turf but if we are going to do that then we need to be very careful so we don’t end up compromising. Are we hanging out with these people because it is fun? Are they the ones who are choosing the R or X rated entertainment? Are we afraid of losing their friendship if we hold to Biblical standards? Even if we start out with the purest of motives there is danger we need to beware of.

1 Corinthians 15:33 exhorts us: Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals." It’s interesting to me that it isn’t the other way around. When we hang out with people in the world the likely effect is for us to become like them. I think the way to avoid the compromise is holding a high standard that calls them to repentance and not being afraid of them taking off in a huff.

So I’m not advocating that we hide in our churches. We have a lot to offer to a mixed up world and messed up people. What I don’t want to see is Christians slowly sliding down the slippery slope of liberalism where after a few years time they are proclaiming a Jesus that has been painted by the world and reproving those who question what they have become.

Philip