Luke 5:27
After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. "Follow Me," He told him,
After this
This phrase indicates a sequence of events, suggesting that what follows is directly connected to what has just occurred. In the context of Luke 5, Jesus has been performing miracles and teaching, establishing His authority and divine mission. The phrase "After this" serves as a narrative bridge, linking the miraculous catch of fish and the healing of the leper to the calling of Levi, demonstrating the continuous unfolding of Jesus' ministry.

Jesus went out
The act of Jesus going out signifies His active engagement with the world. It reflects His mission to seek and save the lost, as He does not remain isolated but moves among the people. This movement is symbolic of the incarnation itself, where God steps into human history. The Greek verb "ἐξῆλθεν" (exēlthen) implies a purposeful departure, emphasizing Jesus' intentionality in His ministry.

and saw
The verb "saw" (Greek: εἶδεν, eiden) is more than a mere glance; it implies a deep, discerning look. Jesus' seeing is often associated with understanding and compassion. In the Gospels, when Jesus sees someone, it often leads to an act of mercy or a call to discipleship. This seeing is both physical and spiritual, indicating Jesus' awareness of Levi's potential and need for transformation.

a tax collector
Tax collectors, or "τελώνης" (telōnēs) in Greek, were often despised in Jewish society for their role in collecting taxes for the Roman occupiers and their reputation for corruption. They were seen as traitors and sinners. By focusing on a tax collector, the narrative highlights Jesus' radical grace and willingness to reach out to those marginalized and rejected by society.

named Levi
Levi, also known as Matthew, is identified by name, which personalizes the encounter. The name Levi may suggest a connection to the Levitical priesthood, which is ironic given his occupation. This highlights the transformative power of Jesus' call, as Levi is invited to leave behind his old life and embrace a new identity in Christ.

sitting at the tax booth
The tax booth represents Levi's occupation and the center of his life before meeting Jesus. It is a place of business, but also of isolation and scorn from his fellow Jews. The image of Levi sitting there underscores his entrenchment in a life that is about to be radically changed by Jesus' invitation.

“Follow Me,”
This command, "Follow Me" (Greek: Ἀκολούθει μοι, Akolouthei moi), is a call to discipleship. It is an invitation to leave behind one's former life and to embark on a journey of faith and transformation. The imperative form indicates urgency and authority, reflecting Jesus' role as a teacher and leader. This call is central to the Christian life, emphasizing obedience, trust, and the willingness to be led by Christ.

Jesus said to him
The direct address from Jesus to Levi highlights the personal nature of the call. Jesus speaks directly to Levi, indicating that His call is intentional and specific. This personal invitation underscores the relational aspect of discipleship, where Jesus knows and calls each person by name.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus
The central figure of the New Testament, the Son of God, who calls individuals to follow Him and become His disciples.

2. Levi
Also known as Matthew, a tax collector by profession. Tax collectors were often despised by the Jewish people for collaborating with the Roman authorities and for their reputation of being dishonest.

3. Tax Booth
The place where Levi was working when Jesus called him. It symbolizes Levi's old life and profession, which he left behind to follow Jesus.

4. Call to Discipleship
The event where Jesus invites Levi to follow Him, marking a significant transformation in Levi's life.
Teaching Points
The Power of Jesus' Call
Jesus' call to Levi demonstrates His authority and the transformative power of His invitation. When Jesus calls, it demands a response that can change the course of one's life.

Leaving the Old Life Behind
Levi's willingness to leave his tax booth signifies the importance of leaving behind our old ways and sins to follow Christ wholeheartedly.

Inclusivity of Jesus' Ministry
Jesus' choice of a tax collector as a disciple shows that His message and ministry are for everyone, regardless of their past or societal status.

Immediate Obedience
Levi's immediate response to Jesus' call is a model of obedience and faith. When Jesus calls us, our response should be prompt and decisive.

Transformation and Witness
Levi's transformation from a tax collector to a disciple of Christ serves as a powerful witness to others about the change Jesus can bring into a person's life.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does Levi's profession as a tax collector tell us about the type of people Jesus calls to follow Him?

2. How does Levi's response to Jesus' call challenge us in our own walk with Christ?

3. In what ways can we identify "tax booths" in our lives that we need to leave behind to follow Jesus more closely?

4. How does the calling of Levi encourage us to view others who might be marginalized or despised in society?

5. Reflect on a time when you felt called by Jesus to make a significant change in your life. How did you respond, and what was the outcome?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 9:9
This verse parallels Luke 5:27, providing another account of Levi's calling, emphasizing the immediacy and willingness of Levi to follow Jesus.

Mark 2:14
Similar to Luke 5:27, this passage also recounts the calling of Levi, highlighting the consistency of the Gospel accounts.

Philippians 3:7-8
Paul speaks about counting all things as loss for the sake of Christ, which resonates with Levi's decision to leave his lucrative job to follow Jesus.

Romans 12:2
The transformation of the mind and life, as seen in Levi's response to Jesus' call, aligns with the call to not conform to the world but be transformed.
A PublicanE. Stapfer, D. D., Dr. Geikie., J. Keble.Luke 5:27-28
Follow ExactlyLuke 5:27-28
Following ChristW. Clarkson Luke 5:27, 28
Following ChristW. W. Patton, D. D.Luke 5:27-28
Following Christ FullyLuke 5:27-28
God Calls Busy Men to Do His Grander WorkTeacher's Storehouse.Luke 5:27-28
Matthew Before, Daring, and After His ConversionLaselve., T. Gascoigne, B. A.Luke 5:27-28
Matthew Obeys Christ's CallT. Gascoigne, B. A.Luke 5:27-28
On the Calling of St. MatthewThomas Gisborne.Luke 5:27-28
Self-SurrenderH. G. Salter.Luke 5:27-28
The Call of MatthewW. R. Clark, M. A.Luke 5:27-28
The Call of St. MatthewS. Cox, D. D., Dean Alford.Luke 5:27-28
The Duty of Following ChristW. Maclure.Luke 5:27-28
The Call of Levi, and the Subsequent BanquetR.M. Edgar Luke 5:27-39
People
James, Jesus, John, Levi, Peter, Simon, Zabdi, Zebedee
Places
Galilee, Genneseret, Jerusalem, Judea
Topics
Beheld, Booth, Collector, Custom, Follow, Forth, Levi, Named, Noticed, Office, Publican, Receipt, Seated, Sitting, Tax, Taxes, Tax-farmer, Tax-gatherer, Tax-office, Toll
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Luke 5:27

     8115   discipleship, nature of
     8206   Christlikeness

Luke 5:27-28

     2066   Christ, power of
     2426   gospel, responses
     8120   following Christ
     8209   commitment, to Christ
     8475   self-denial
     8481   self-sacrifice
     8702   agnosticism

Luke 5:27-29

     5503   rich, the

Luke 5:27-31

     5576   tax collectors

Luke 5:27-32

     4438   eating
     6040   sinners
     6668   grace, and Christ

Library
March 25 Evening
Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing; nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.--LUKE 5:5. All power is give unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: . . . and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea. Though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: necessity is laid
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

March 19. "Launch Out into the Deep" (Luke v. 4).
"Launch out into the deep" (Luke v. 4). Many difficulties and perplexities in connection with our Christian life might be best settled by a simple and bold decision of our will to go forward with the light we have and leave the speculations and theories that we cannot decide for further settlement. What we need is to act, and to act with the best light we have, and as we step out into the present duty and full obedience, many things will be made plain which it is no use waiting to decide. Beloved,
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

December 9. "Launch Out into the Deep" (Luke v. 4).
"Launch out into the deep" (Luke v. 4). One of the special marks of the Holy Ghost in the Apostolic Church was the spirit Of boldness. One of the most essential qualities of the faith that is to attempt great things for God and expect great things from God, is holy audacity. Where we are dealing with a supernatural Being, and taking from Him things that are humanly impossible, it is easier to take much than little; it is easier to stand in a place of audacious trust than in a place of cautious, timid
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Humility
LUKE v. 8. Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. Few stories in the New Testament are as well known as this. Few go home more deeply to the heart of man. Most simple, most graceful is the story, and yet it has in it depths unfathomable. Great painters have loved to draw, great poets have loved to sing, that scene on the lake of Gennesaret. The clear blue water, land- locked with mountains; the meadows on the shore, gay with their lilies of the field, on which our Lord bade them look,
Charles Kingsley—Discipline and Other Sermons

Instructions for Fishermen
'Now when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.'--LUKE v. 4. The day's work begins early in the East. So the sun, as it rose above the hills on the other side of the lake, shone down upon a busy scene, fresh with the dew and energy of the morning, on the beach by the little village of Bethsaida. One group of fishermen was washing their nets, their boats being hauled up on the strand. A crowd of listeners was thus early gathered round
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Fear and Faith
'When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.' --LUKE v. 8. 'Now, when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him,... and did cast himself into the sea.'--JOHN xxi. 7. These two instances of the miraculous draught of fishes on the Lake of Gennesareth are obviously intended to be taken in conjunction. Their similarities and their differences are equally striking and equally instructive. In the fragment
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Blasphemer, or --Who?
'And it came to pass on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18. And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before Him. 19. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the house-top,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

"The Moody and Sankey Humbug. "
There was a man, while we were in London, who got out a little paper called "The Moody and Sankey Humbug." He used to have it to sell to the people coming into the meeting. After he had sold a great many thousand copies of that number, he wanted to get out another number; so he came to the meeting to get something to put into the paper; but the power of the Lord was present. It says here in this chapter (Luke 5) that the Pharisees, scribes, and doctors, were watching the words of Christ in that house
Dwight L. Moody—Moody's Anecdotes And Illustrations

Absolution.
Preached June 2, 1850. ABSOLUTION. "And the Scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?"--Luke v. 21. There are questions which having been again and again settled, still from time to time, present themselves for re-solution; errors which having been refuted, and cut up by the roots, re-appear in the next century as fresh and vigorous as ever. Like the fabled monsters of old, from whose dissevered neck the blood
Frederick W. Robertson—Sermons Preached at Brighton

Carried by Four
When our Lord left his retirement he found the crowd around him exceeding great, and it was as motley as it was great; for while here were many sincere believers, there were still more sceptical observers; some were anxious to receive his healing power, others equally desirous to find occasion against him. So in all congregations, however the preacher may be clothed with his Master's spirit and his Master's might, there will be a mixed gathering; there will come together your Pharisees and doctors
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

The Secret of Success.
5th Sunday after Trinity S. Luke v. 5. "We have taken nothing; nevertheless at Thy word, I will let down the net." INTRODUCTION.--S. Peter and the other Apostles had been fishing all night, and had met with no success at all, then Jesus entered into the boat of Simon, and bade him launch out and let down his net. S. Peter did not hesitate. He had met with no success when fishing in the night, nevertheless now, at the word of Christ, he fishes again, and this time the net encloses a great multitude,
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

Christ the Great Physician.
"They that are whole have no need of a physician; but they that are sick. I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Luke v. 31, 32). "For this people's heart is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of hearing, And their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And should turn again, And I should heal them" (Matt. xiii. 15). "He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted" (Luke iv. 18).
Frank G. Allen—Autobiography of Frank G. Allen, Minister of the Gospel

Jesus, Still Lead On.
"Jesu, geh Voran." "They forsook all, and followed him."--Luke 5:11. [7]Ludwig von Zinzendorf transl., Jane Borthwick, 1846, 1854 Jesus, still lead on, Till our rest be won! And although the way be cheerless, We will follow, calm and fearless. Guide us by thy hand To our Fatherland. If the way be drear, If the foe be near, Let not faithless fears o'ertake us, Let not faith and hope forsake us For, through many a foe, To our home we go! When we seek relief From a long-felt grief-- When oppressed
Jane Borthwick—Hymns from the Land of Luther

Travelling in Palestine --Roads, Inns, Hospitality, Custom-House Officers, Taxation, Publicans
It was the very busiest road in Palestine, on which the publican Levi Matthew sat at the receipt of "custom," when our Lord called him to the fellowship of the Gospel, and he then made that great feast to which he invited his fellow-publicans, that they also might see and hear Him in Whom he had found life and peace (Luke 5:29). For, it was the only truly international road of all those which passed through Palestine; indeed, it formed one of the great highways of the world's commerce. At the time
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Penitence, as Explained in the Sophistical Jargon of the Schoolmen, Widely Different from the Purity Required by the Gospel. Of Confession and Satisfaction.
1. Errors of the Schoolmen in delivering the doctrine of repentance. 1. Errors in defining it. Four different definitions considered. 2. Absurd division. 3. Vain and puzzling questions. 4. Mode in which they entangle themselves. 2. The false doctrine of the Schoolmen necessary to be refuted. Of contrition. Their view of it examined. 3. True and genuine contrition. 4. Auricular confession. Whether or not of divine authority. Arguments of Canonists and Schoolmen. Allegorical argument founded on Judaism.
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Seventh Appearance of Jesus.
(Sea of Galilee.) ^D John XXI. 1-25. ^d 1 After these things Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and he manifested himself on this wise. 2 There was together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee [see p. 111], and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. [As usual, Peter was the leader.] They say unto him, We also come with thee. They went forth, and entered into the boat;
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Heals a Leper and Creates Much Excitement.
^A Matt.VIII. 2-4; ^B Mark I. 40-45; ^C Luke V. 12-16. ^c 12 And it came to pass, while he was in one of the cities [it was a city of Galilee, but as it was not named, it is idle to conjecture which city it was], behold, ^b there cometh { ^a came} ^b to him a leper [There is much discussion as to what is here meant by leprosy. Two diseases now go by that name; viz., psoriasis and elephantiasis. There are also three varieties of psoriasis, namely, white, black and red. There are also three varieties
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Disciples of Jesus.
In this terrestrial paradise, which the great revolutions of history had till then scarcely touched, there lived a population in perfect harmony with the country itself, active, honest, joyous, and tender-hearted. The Lake of Tiberias is one of the best supplied with fish of any in the world.[1] Very productive fisheries were established, especially at Bethsaida, and at Capernaum, and had produced a certain degree of wealth. These families of fishermen formed a gentle and peaceable society, extending
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

The Conflict with Evil
The Kingdom of God Will Have to Fight for Its Advance The great objective is the Kingdom of God. In realizing the Reign of God on earth three recalcitrant forces have to be brought into obedience to God's law: the desire for power, the love of property, and unsocial religion. We have studied Christ's thought concerning these in the foregoing chapters. The advance of the Kingdom of God is not simply a process of social education, but a conflict with hostile forces which resist, neutralize, and defy
Walter Rauschenbusch—The Social Principles of Jesus

The Lake of Gennesaret; Or, the Sea of Galilee and Tiberias.
Jordan is measured at one hundred and twenty furlongs, from the lake of Samochonitis to that of Gennesaret. That lake, in the Old Testament, is 'The sea of Chinnereth,' Numbers 34:11, &c. In the Targumists, 'The sea of Genesar'; sometimes, 'of Genesor'; sometimes, 'of Ginosar': it is the same also in the Talmudists, but most frequently 'The sea of Tiberiah.' Both names are used by the evangelists; 'the lake of Gennesaret,' Luke 5:1; 'the sea of Tiberias,' John 21:1; and 'the sea of Galilee,' John
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Peter's Repentance
"And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly" (Luke 22:61, 62). That was the turning-point in the history of Peter. Christ had said to him: "Thou canst not follow me now" (John 13:36). Peter was not in a fit state to follow Christ, because he had not been brought to an end of himself; he did not know himself, and he therefore could not follow
Andrew Murray—Absolute Surrender

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