And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:29-32)
Think about it: what do you feel when you hear Jesus calling you? Is it a suggestion? Is it a demand? Is it a trailer for something ahead? Or is it the scene you are entering right then and there and your surrender to the script of God (in Scripture) is required?
Just by looking up the meaning of words, I find that they come to mean so much more to me than English brings out. In today’s case, Jesus clarifying who he came to “call” means “to summon v. — to authoritatively communicate a demand for the presence or participation of” (Bible Sense Lexicon).
Everything about God says he should be the one in charge, not us. When we hear the call of God through his word and Spirit, it is the Father calling his children to walk in the obedience of faith. It is the Shepherd calling his sheep to follow him home. It is the Master calling his servants to know and do his will. It is the Creator calling his creatures to leave their sin and come to him. Everything about God makes him the one in charge over everything about us.
This is why Jesus calls us to “repentance”, which means, “repentance ⇔ reconsideration n. — a change of self (heart and mind) that abandons former dispositions and results in a new self, new behavior, and regret over former behavior and dispositions” (Bible Sense Lexicon).
In other words, repentance is a change of a person’s heart that results in a change of a person’s actions. When the Psalm-writer asked, “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?” the answer began, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3-4). “Cleans hands” signifies righteous actions coming from a “pure heart”. Sinners can only receive a pure heart expressed in clean hands when they repent and replace their love of sin with the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Over the decades, I have been hurt by enough narcissists who refuse to admit their need of change that I want to be changing daily in the newest installment of how to be more like Jesus. I believe God calls us every day as we spend time with him in his word and then seek to put what we learn into practice.
And since the aim of our salvation is to make us like Jesus, we must expect every day to feel like we “are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (II Corinthians 3:18).
For me, that includes what God started yesterday in the “he would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Luke 5:16) combined with today’s calling to repent and believe like never before and join God’s work in anyone else he shows me is hearing Jesus’ call to turn around and follow him.
© 2025 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8
Email: in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)
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