What does it say about Christ that while on earth He spent a considerable amount of time in many homes? A home is a unique setting where formality is done away with, and a level of comfort and intimacy can be achieved that is rarely found in other settings. Recently as I was reading through Luke, I observed how often the Lord found himself in the home a Pharisee. But He did not associate with just the religious establishment, but with the entire breadth of human existence—from the wealthy like Zaccheus to the humble home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, where He often stopped as He passed through Bethany.
A LIFE-CHANGING ENCOUNTER
Matthew, Mark, and Luke each record an event early in the Lord’s public ministry where He spent time in the home of Levi the tax collector. It began with an invitation to leave his presumably successful tax collection business and enter the business of winning souls. The clear impression we receive from the gospel writers was that tax-collectors were poorly regarded. For one, they worked for the governing Roman authorities. Second, while conducting their business in the name of Rome, they ensured their own pockets were generously lined. Not surprisingly, they were consistently numbered with “sinners.” But this encounter with Jesus was life-changing for Levi. When he met Jesus, “he left everything behind.” He evaluated his balance sheet, his assets and liabilities outside of Christ, and counted “all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus [my] Lord” (Php. 3:8).
THE SCENE INSIDE
Levi’s first act was to host a large reception where his friends could be introduced to his Savior. This was no fellowship tea. Luke records that there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people invited to Levi’s home. Matthew and Mark make a point of describing the gathered company as “tax collectors and sinners.” But where do we find Jesus? In the midst of this motley crew, He is reclining at the table.
Levi had likely hosted many such gatherings, but the conversation had been consumed with the earthly, the trivial. These parties always ended with a note of emptiness as Levi’s friends returned to their material pursuits. Like many of his associates, Levi had enjoyed wealth and its benefits but at the expense of being lonely, and he looked down upon his community. But now he met a physician who addressed the brokenness of his aching heart, One who knew his sinful past but still desired a relationship with him. There was no more pressing burden for Levi than to open his home so that Christ could minister to other dying men.
THE SCENE OUTSIDE
The scene inside Levi’s home, crowded with tax-collectors and sinners, stands in striking contrast to the scene outside. The very idea of the Lord in Levi’s home visiting with sinners was scandalous to the observing Pharisees. What do we make of the Lord’s response to their criticism: “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance”? I recently cared for a young woman who came to the Emergency Department with an end-stage cancer. Her husband shared that for months he had pleaded with her to go see the doctor. She was losing weight and could hardly look at food without being nauseated. When she finally agreed to go to the hospital, it was out of desperation because of the pain. My guess is she knew all along something was wrong, but only when the disease was far advanced was she willing to admit she needed help.
Inside Levi’s home that day were sinners who understood their spiritual plight, while outside the critical Pharisees remained blind or unwilling to accept the seriousness of their own hearts’ condition. Rightfully the Lord said that He came not to call the righteous but sinners—those who understood their desperate state.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR HOME?
Early on in his Christian walk, Levi understood that following Jesus meant that his home would be a place where Christ would be central. How do you see your home? Most of us see our homes appropriately as sanctuaries from the world, a place to retreat and fortify ourselves against its attack. But recall the Lord’s high priestly prayer on our behalf: “I do not ask you to take them out of the world…as You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (Jn. 17:15, 18). As believers, have we fully appreciated that our homes are fertile fields for the gospel? When was the last time you invited your neighbor, a colleague from work, or an unsaved family member into your home?
Last year, we had a number of Chinese university students, studying in Canada, over for a meal. They shared that though they had been in Canada for four years, and this was the very first time they had been in a Canadian home. They found the experience fascinating. Imagine the eternal possibilities on our doorsteps! Many an unbeliever would be far too intimidated to darken the doors of a church building but would gladly accept an invitation to our home.
What is it about our homes that makes them different? Let me suggest that, from the moment an unbeliever walks through the doors of your home, he knows something is different. It’s not the framed Bible verses on the wall (though we have some). A home where Christ is exalted is filled with the fragrance of Christ. It might be in the order versus chaos, although with a few kids we have had plenty of the latter. It will likely be in the interaction between husband and wife. It will be in the emphasis of your conversation. It will be reflected as you demonstrate a genuine interest in getting to know your guests.
I’m not suggesting this is easy. In fact, you can expect to feel uncomfortable and possibly awkward; but having unbelievers in your home and seeing you in your natural setting builds much-needed credibility in communicating the gospel. Even your acknowledgement of the Lord in giving thanks for a meal sends a tremendous message to your guests.
Our homes can serve as wonderful classrooms to introduce sinners to our Savior. As the Word of God is opened and carefully explained, a home provides the ideal atmosphere where people feel free to ask questions. And when the Scriptures are the measuring stick, we can bring folks back to the Word to appreciate the excellencies of Christ.
Notice that in Matthew’s account of this event in Levi’s home, the Lord pointed the religious Jews back to their own Scriptures: “Go and learn what this means: I desire compassion, and not sacrifice.” The Pharisees had mastered sacrifice—heartless service, rituals, rule-keeping, and religion—but they had no care for the lost, no compassion. If we desire our homes to be more than enclaves for comfortable Christians, we need to be motivated by Christ-like compassion for dying men and women. If we desire that they “Come, taste, and see that the Lord is good,” it is necessary for them to first be drawn by the fragrance of Christ issuing forth from our lives and from our homes.