​Jesus Who Is With Sinners
Luke 5:27–32
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Good morning, everyone.
Today, we are going to look at a beautiful passage in Luke 5:27–32, where Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector, to follow Him and then eats with tax collectors and sinners at Levi’s house.
Luke 5:27 says:
“After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus said to him.”
And verse 29 tells us that Levi held a great banquet for Jesus in his house, and many tax collectors and others were eating with them.
But when the Pharisees and their scribes saw this, they complained to Jesus’ disciples: “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus answered: “It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Through this passage, I would like us to consider an important question: What kind of Savior is Jesus?
Today, I want us to see three things about Jesus.
1. Jesus Seeks Out and Calls Those Who Are Rejected
Luke 5:27 says: “Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus said to him.”
There is one word in this verse that I want us to pay special attention to: “Saw.”
Jesus saw Levi.
People looked at Levi and saw only his occupation and his reputation. Levi was a tax collector. Tax collectors worked for the Roman government and collected taxes from their own people. Because many tax collectors took advantage of their position for personal gain, they were deeply hated by the Jewish people. They were regarded as traitors to their nation and as sinners. In many ways, they were social outcasts. People saw Levi’s past. They saw his occupation. They saw his reputation. They saw the label attached to him.
But Jesus saw something different. Jesus saw a person. People saw Levi’s past, but Jesus saw his future. People saw a sinner, but Jesus saw someone who could become a disciple. People rejected him, but Jesus called him. Jesus said, “Follow me.”
What a beautiful picture of God’s grace!  Jesus calls people where they are. 
Notice that Jesus did not first say to Levi, “Clean up your life and then come to Me.” He did not say, “Fix all your problems first, become holy, and then follow Me.”
Jesus came to Levi where he was. Jesus called him while he was still sitting at the tax booth. And when Levi heard Jesus’ call, he responded. Verse 28 says: “Levi got up, left everything and followed him.” Levi left everything behind and followed Jesus.
The tax booth was not simply his workplace. It represented his income, his possessions, his security, and his way of life. But when Jesus called him, Levi got up. He left his old life behind. And he followed Jesus.
We see something similar with Peter. When Peter experienced the miraculous catch of fish, he also left everything and followed Jesus. The Gospel changes the direction of a person’s life. Before meeting Jesus, Levi was sitting at the tax booth, counting money. After meeting Jesus, he was following Christ. Before, money was at the center of his life. Now Christ was at the center.
That is what repentance looks like. Repentance is not simply saying, “I am sorry.” Repentance means turning around and changing the direction of our lives. It means turning away from sin and turning toward Christ. It means that what once controlled us no longer controls us. It means that Christ becomes the center of our lives.
And notice something very important: Levi did not change himself first and then come to Jesus. Jesus came to him first. Jesus called him first. And that call of grace produced a changed life. This is the wonderful grace of God.
Levi Could Not Keep His Joy to Himself. There is another beautiful thing about Levi. After meeting Jesus, he did not keep the good news to himself. Luke 5:29 says that Levi held a great banquet for Jesus in his house, and many tax collectors and others were there.
Why did Levi invite all these people? Because he had found something wonderful. He had met Jesus. And he wanted his friends to meet Jesus too. A person who has truly experienced the grace of Christ does not want to keep that grace to himself. He wants others to know Jesus.
We are not so different from Levi. We were also sinners. We also needed forgiveness. We also needed grace. But Jesus came looking for us. Jesus called us. And by His grace, we have received forgiveness and salvation. 
So, like Levi, shouldn’t we also invite those around us to come and meet Jesus? There are people around us who hesitate to come to church because of their past. Some have been deeply hurt. Some feel judged by others. Some believe they are not good enough for church. Some carry shame because of mistakes they have made. But Jesus did not allow Levi’s past to become the final word about his life. Jesus saw what God’s grace could do in him.
Therefore, let us also look at people through the eyes of grace. Let us not define people only by their past. Let us believe that God’s grace can transform a life.
2. Jesus Is With Sinners, But He Is Not Conformed to Sin
When Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, the Pharisees and scribes complained.
They asked: “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
In Jewish society, eating together was much more than simply sharing a meal. Sharing a meal represented friendship, acceptance, and close fellowship. So when Jesus sat at the table with tax collectors and sinners, the Pharisees were shocked. They thought: “How can a holy man associate with these people?”
For the Pharisees, holiness meant separation from sinners. They believed that if they got too close to sinful people, they themselves would become contaminated. There is a certain truth in their concern. We are weak. Sin can influence us. Bad relationships can pull us away from God. Wrong environments can weaken our faith. We should never underestimate the power of temptation.
But the Pharisees did not understand the greatness of Jesus’ holiness. Jesus’ holiness was different. Jesus was not contaminated by sinners. Instead, Jesus brought cleansing to sinners. His holiness was powerful enough to enter the presence of sinners without becoming sinful. He came into the darkness as the Light. He entered the world of sinners in order to rescue sinners.
This gives us an important principle: “Holiness means separation from sin, not isolation from sinners.
As Christians, we are called to be different from the world. But we are not called to completely isolate ourselves from people in the world. We should eat with our coworkers. We should talk with our neighbors. We should build friendships with people who do not believe in Jesus. We should listen to their stories. We should hear their struggles. We should care about their lives. How can we share the Gospel with people if we refuse to have any relationship with them?
Therefore, we must enter the world. But we need to understand why. We do not enter the world so that we can become like the world. We enter the world so that we can show Christ to the world. We are called to live in the world without being conformed to the world.
We Need Wisdom When We Live Among Unbelievers This requires wisdom. Jesus was perfectly holy. We are not. We are weak and vulnerable to temptation. Therefore, we need to know our weaknesses. We need to recognize the situations that can easily pull us away from Christ. For some people, it may be money. For others, it may be recognition, success, pleasure, alcohol, relationships, or pride. We should not deliberately put ourselves in situations where we know we are likely to fall. Being friends with unbelievers does not mean becoming known as someone who simply enjoys everything the world enjoys.
Our purpose is different. We want their good. We want them to know Christ. We want them to experience the grace that we have received.
How Should the World See Us? Then how should we live among people who do not believe?
Should we force the law upon them? Should we constantly criticize them? Should we build walls between ourselves and our neighbors? Should we simply tell everyone, “You must come to church”? No.
People should see the Gospel in the way we live. The world needs to see Christians who are honest. Christians who are humble. Christians who forgive. Christians who serve. Christians who put others before themselves. Christians who love even when it is difficult. We must live as people who have been justified by Christ. 
We are not saved because we are good people. We are saved entirely by the grace of Jesus Christ. Our good works can never become the basis of our salvation. But those who have been saved by grace will produce the fruit of a changed life. Good works are not the condition of salvation. Good works are the result of salvation. Grace changes the way we live. 
Before We Blame the World, We Must Examine Ourselves.
When the church loses the trust of society, our first response should not be to blame the world. We should first come before God and examine ourselves.
We should pray: “Father, forgive us. Forgive us for our selfishness. Forgive us for our pride. Forgive us for our hypocrisy. Forgive us when our behavior has caused people to speak badly of the church and of the name of Jesus.”
Brothers and sisters, before Madison Korean Presbyterian Church can shine the light of the Gospel into this community, we must first humble ourselves before God. We must repent. We must ask God to transform us. Only then can our lives become a credible witness to the Gospel.
3. Jesus Calls Sinners to Repentance and Sends Them Back into the World
Now look at Luke 5:31–32: “It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Jesus describes Himself as a doctor. A doctor is not needed by someone who thinks he is perfectly healthy. A doctor is needed by someone who knows that he is sick. Jesus says that sinners are like sick people who need a doctor.
Sin is not simply a minor moral mistake. Sin destroys our relationship with God. Sin separates us from God. And ultimately, sin leads to death. But perhaps the most dangerous thing about spiritual sickness is this: We may not even realize that we are sick.
This was the problem with the Pharisees. They looked at tax collectors and sinners and said, “They are the problem.” But they could not see their own spiritual condition. They thought they were healthy. Therefore, they did not think they needed Jesus. And tragically, they rejected the very Doctor who could heal them.
Do We Know That We Are Sinners?
Romans 3:23 says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
The important question is not, “Are those people sinners?”
The important question is: “Do I recognize that I am a sinner who needs the grace of Jesus?”
A person who has truly experienced God’s grace becomes increasingly aware of his own sin. He does not become proud. He becomes humble. He does not constantly point at other people’s failures. He looks first at his own heart. 
But when we move away from grace, something changes. We begin to see everyone else’s sins while becoming blind to our own. We see the speck in another person’s eye but fail to see the log in our own.
Levi knew that he needed Jesus. The Pharisees did not.
Levi came to the Doctor. The Pharisees believed they were already healthy.
The Church Is a Hospital for Sinners This truth is directly connected to the mission of the church. The church is not a courtroom where we gather to condemn sinners. The church is a community where sinners meet Jesus, repent of their sins, receive grace, and are transformed into new people. The church should be a place where broken people can encounter the healing grace of Christ.
But the church is not meant to become a comfortable shelter where we stay forever. Jesus calls us into the church, but He also sends us back into the world. The church is a place where we learn the Word of God. It is a place where we worship. It is a place where we encourage one another. It is a place where our faith is strengthened. The church is a spiritual training ground and a place of protection. 
But at the same time, the church is also a mission station from which we go into the world with the Gospel. Jesus sends us to our homes. He sends us to our workplaces. He sends us to our schools. He sends us into our neighborhoods. He sends us into our communities. And wherever He sends us, we are called to show the character of Christ. If we have experienced forgiveness in the church, that forgiveness should become real forgiveness in our homes. If we have received comfort from Christ, we should comfort those who are discouraged. If we have been strengthened by God’s Word, we should live out that Word in our daily lives. If we have received the immeasurable love of Jesus, we should allow that love to flow toward our neighbors.
We do not belong to the world, but we have been sent into the world. We are Christ’s representatives in the world.
Therefore, we should regularly ask ourselves: “Am I satisfied simply with receiving God’s grace inside the church, or am I taking that grace into the world and demonstrating it through my life?”
Living for Christ in the World Is Not Easy. Going into the world is not always easy. Sometimes people will laugh at our faith. Sometimes we may experience inconvenience or even loss because we choose to follow Christ. Sometimes we may feel lonely because we refuse to follow the values of the world.
But remember this: Jesus came to us first. He entered our sinful world. He came into the place of brokenness. He carried the cross for us. He died for us. He rose again. And He gave us new life. 
Because of His grace, we can also go into the world with courage. Your coworkers may see something of Jesus through your honesty. Your family may experience the power of the Gospel through your patience and love. Your neighbors may begin to think differently about God because of a small act of kindness or a sincere word of encouragement.
Sometimes our greatest witness is not a sermon we preach. Sometimes our greatest witness is the way we live.
4. Three Practical Applications
Let us apply today’s message in three ways.
First, acknowledge that you are a sick sinner who needs Jesus. Before pointing out someone else’s faults, look at your own heart.
Do not say, “I am doing pretty well.” Do not rely on your own righteousness. Come to Jesus, the true Doctor. Say, “Lord, I need You. I cannot save myself. I need Your grace.”
Second, do not avoid sinners, but do not become conformed to sin. Do not be afraid to build relationships with people who do not believe in Jesus. Eat with them. Talk with them. Listen to them. Care for them. Build genuine friendships. But remember your purpose. We are not entering the world so that we can become like the world. We enter the darkness so that we can shine the light of Christ. We are called to be in the world without being of the world.
Third, demonstrate the grace you have received through your daily life. 
Forgive first in your family. Work honestly at your workplace. Serve your neighbors sincerely. Be patient with difficult people. Help those who are hurting. Encourage those who are discouraged. Let your ordinary daily life point people toward Jesus. Our lives should become a quiet but powerful testimony to the Gospel.
5. Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters,
Jesus was willing to be with sinners. But He did not do this because He approved of sin. He did it because He loved sinners. He came to sinners. He called sinners. He forgave sinners. He called sinners to repentance. And He transformed sinners into His disciples. That is exactly what Jesus has done for us.
We were sinners. We were spiritually sick. We could not save ourselves. But Jesus came looking for us. He called us. He forgave us. He died for us. He rose again. And He has given us new life.
Therefore, let us become more like Jesus. Let us not point our fingers at people who are rejected by society. Let us reach out to them. Let us welcome them. Let us love them. Let us invite them to meet Jesus. But as we enter the world, let us not become conformed to the world. Let us live with holiness, humility, integrity, and love. And at the same time, let us never forget that we ourselves are still sinners who continually need God’s grace. The One who heals our wounds, the One who forgives our sins, the One who continually renews us, is Jesus Christ alone.
So every day, let us come to Him. Let us come to the true Doctor. Let us receive His healing grace. And then, strengthened by that grace, let us go back into the world. Go to your family. Go to your workplace. Go to your neighborhood. Go to your community. Go as Christ’s representatives. And let the people around you see Jesus through your life.
May Madison Korean Presbyterian Church become a church that welcomes sinners, proclaims the Gospel, lives in holiness, and sends transformed disciples into the world.
May we be a people who have received the grace of Christ and faithfully carry that grace to those around us.
May the Lord give us the grace to follow Jesus, to love sinners without compromising holiness, and to boldly proclaim the Gospel wherever He sends us.
May God bless you all.
Let us pray.