Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,
and a large crowd of tax collectors
and others were at table with them.
The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying,
“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”
Lectio (Reading)
Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.Meditatio (Reflecting)
Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.
Oratio (Responding)
Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.Jesus came to save the sinners, not the righteous. But in this scene who is the greater sinner? The tax collector or the pharisees? Levi was indeed a great sinner that was carrying out a great injustice on his own people, collecting taxes from them, for the sake of profit. But Levi recognized his sin and wanted something more for his life.
The pharisees on the other hand were also great sinners. They used the law to subjegate the jewish people under the heavy burdens, and their knowledge of it to aggrandize themselves. But, the pharisees did not see anything wrong with what they were doing, they thought that they were being righteous, and they definitely did not think that they were sinners.
The Venerable Bede sums this all up well “He has not called those who, wishing to establish their own justice, have not been made subject to the justice of God. He calls those who, being conscious of their weakness, are not ashamed to confess that we have all offended [God] in many things.”
Jesus is a gentleman, and He will not force Himself upon you, He is not going to help you if you dont want His help. The haughty and arrogant reject Jesus and as such He is far from them, as they wallow in their sin. The sick and the needy recognize their weakness, and they yearn for His healing touch, and thus Jesus is with them, helping them to repent and reconcile.
He wants the same for you, but you must first ask for His help. Will you reach out to Him?
Contemplatio (Contemplating)
Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.Resolutio (Resolving)
Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.Oh lord, help me today to recognize my sin, and my weakness, and bring it to you for healing. Amen.