05/27/2026
Jesus sees Levi sitting at the tax collector’s booth and says two simple words: “Follow me.” In a crowd full of people, Jesus notices the one everyone else had written off. A man seen as compromised, sinful, and far from God becomes someone Jesus calls close.
But the story doesn’t stop there. Jesus goes to Levi’s house and sits at the table with tax collectors and sinners. The people others avoided were drawn to Jesus, and Jesus was drawn near to them. While the Pharisees questioned why He would spend time with people like this, Jesus answered with clarity and compassion: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus makes His mission clear. He came to seek and save the lost. He meets people right where they are, but He never leaves them there. Levi leaves the tax booth behind to follow Jesus into a brand new life.
This passage also shows us the tension Jesus perfectly embodies: holiness and proximity. Jesus was completely holy, set apart from sin, yet deeply near to broken people. He never compromised truth, but He also never withheld compassion. And this is the invitation for His church too. To be set apart without becoming self-righteous. To guard holiness without losing compassion. To follow Jesus into places that may stretch our comfort while still remaining faithful to Him.
No matter who you relate to in this story, there is an invitation for you. For the sinner wondering if Jesus would want them, the answer is yes. For the disciple learning to trust Jesus in unfamiliar places, keep following Him. For the Pharisee trying to honor God but struggling with judgment or distance, Jesus invites you deeper too.
Jesus doesn’t simply hand us a formula. He gives us Himself and says, “Follow me.”
The Journey Community Church | What Jesus Said | Pastor Paul Joyal
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