Levi’s Conversion

An insight on the conversion of Levi in Luke 5:27-32, suggested by my wife: Levi is called away from his tax booth, leaves everything to follow Jesus, and in the very next scene is hosting a banquet. There are two dimensions to this: first, Levi leaves a profession notorious for greedy taking and begins to give (like Zaccheus); second, Levi’s discipleship not only means that he is given a place at the Lord’s table, but also that he becomes a generous host at his own table. For Luke, conversion to Christ means imitating Christ by opening our tables in hospitality.