The Calling of Levi – Luke 5:27-32

What do people find most difficult to leave behind when they follow Jesus?

Bible Reading

Luke 5:27-32

27  After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.”

28  So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.

29  Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.

30  And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

31  Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

32  “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

 

(NKJ)

 

Food for Thought

1.   If the President were coming to dine with you tomorrow, what would you do to get ready for his visit?

2.   What jobs do you think provide the greatest temptation to do wrong and why?

3.   What do you think is the most important consideration in finding and enjoying a career?

 

Bible Study

4.   What was Levi’s profession? (5:27)

5.   What did Jesus say to Levi? (5:27)

6.   What actions did Levi take upon hearing Jesus’ invitation to follow him? (5:28)

7.   What did Levi leave behind when he followed Jesus? (5:28)

8.   What was Levi’s first action as a new follower of Jesus? (5:29)

9.   Whom did Levi invite to the party declaring his new career? (5:29)

10. In accepting Levi’s hospitality, what was Jesus accused of doing? (5:30)

11. What group made a point of condemning Jesus’ choice of companions? (5:30)

12. What was the point of the Pharisees’ question to Jesus’ disciples? (5:30)

13. To what occupation did Jesus liken his ministry? (5:31)

14. What reason did Jesus give for his coming? (5:32)

 

Kingdom Dynamics

15. Why did Jesus call a despised tax collector like Levi to follow him?

16. According to this story, what are the qualifications for being a disciple of Jesus?

17. How do you think the other disciples felt when Jesus asked Levi to join their group?

18. Do you think the disciples would continue to refer Levi as a tax collector?

19. Why do you think Levi responded to Jesus’ call so readily without knowing much about him?

20. What was it about Jesus that first drew you to him?

21. How can we follow Jesus today?

22. What do people find most difficult to leave behind when they follow Jesus?

23. What connection can you see between your job and the call to follow Jesus?

24. What did Jesus mean by saying he came to call sinners to repentance and not to call the righteous?

25. Why was Jesus comfortable at a party attended almost entirely by people whom others had rejected?

26. Who are “the righteous” who don’t need Jesus?

27. How do you relate with “undesirable” types?

 

Practical Christianity

28. How can you reach out in the days ahead to one person whom others neglect or ignore?

29. What can you do to follow Christ’s example more consciously this week?