Luke 5:29 - The Calling of Levi

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The Calling of Levi
…28and Levi got up, left everything, and followed Him. 29Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there, along with others who were eating with them. 30But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”…

Cross References

Matthew 5:46
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?Matthew 9:9
As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. "Follow Me," He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.Matthew 11:19
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is vindicated by her actions."Luke 15:1
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around to listen to Jesus.

Treasury of Scripture

And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.

made.

John 12:2
There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

and there.

Matthew 9:10
And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

Mark 2:15
And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

1 Corinthians 5:9-11
I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: …

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Banquet Big Collectors Company Crowd Eating Entertainment Feast Followed Great Held House Jesus Levi Meat Multitude Others Publicans Reception Reclining Rose Sat Seated Sitting Table Tax Tax-Farmers Tax-Gatherers

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Luke 5

1. Jesus teaches the people out of Peter's ship;
4. shows how he will make them fishers of men;
12. cleanses the leper;
16. prays in the desert;
17. heals a paralytic;
27. calls Matthew the tax collector;
29. eats with sinners, as being the physician of souls;
33. foretells the fasting and afflictions of the apostles after his ascension;
36. and illustrates the matter by the parable of patches.

(29) A great feast.--The fact stated agrees with St. Mark, but the precise phrase is peculiar to St. Luke. The noun means literally a reception, and agrees, curiously enough, with the most modern use of that word.

Of publicans and of others.--It is, perhaps, characteristic of St. Luke as a Gentile that he will not use the word "sinners" as St. Matthew and St. Mark appear to have used it, as popularly including heathen as such, and substitutes the vaguer word "others."

Verse 29. - And Levi made him a great feast in his own house. There is no doubt that this Levi was the same person as Matthew the publican (subsequently the evangelist), whose calling under precisely similar circumstances is related in the First Gospel (Matthew 10; and see Mark 2.). The name Matthew, "gift of God," was probably given to him, as that of Peter (or Cephas, "a rock") was bestowed on Simon, after his association with Jesus. The words used, "a great feast," a great company, plainly indicate that Levi (Matthew)was a person of consideration and position. And there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. The great company was owing to the fact that the publicans and their friends, moved by the kindness and friendship of the new Teacher, assembled at the feast in numbers out of respect to him; or, more likely, the assemblage was owing to the effort of Levi (Matthew) to bring into friendly relations his associates and friends and the new Master, for whose sake he had given up everything. Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

Then
Καὶ (Kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

Levi
Λευὶς (Leuis)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3018: (Hebrew), Levi, son of Alphaeus, the publican. A form of Leui; Lewis, a Christian.

hosted
ἐποίησεν (epoiēsen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.

a great
μεγάλην (megalēn)
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3173: Large, great, in the widest sense.

banquet
δοχὴν (dochēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1403: A feast, banquet, reception. From dechomai; a reception, i.e. Convivial entertainment.

for [Jesus]
αὐτῷ (autō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

at
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

his
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

house.
οἰκίᾳ (oikia)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3614: From oikos; properly, residence, but usually an abode; by implication, a family.

A large
πολὺς (polys)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4183: Much, many; often.

crowd
ὄχλος (ochlos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3793: From a derivative of echo; a throng; by implication, the rabble; by extension, a class of people; figuratively, a riot.

of tax collectors
τελωνῶν (telōnōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 5057: A publican, collector of taxes. From telos and oneomai; a tax-farmer, i.e. Collector of public revenue.

was there,
ἦν (ēn)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

along with
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

others
ἄλλων (allōn)
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 243: Other, another (of more than two), different. A primary word; 'else, ' i.e. Different.

who
οἳ (hoi)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

were
ἦσαν (ēsan)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

eating
κατακείμενοι (katakeimenoi)
Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2621: From kata and keimai; to lie down, i.e. be sick; specially, to recline at a meal.

with
μετ’ (met’)
Preposition
Strong's 3326: (a) gen: with, in company with, (b) acc: (1) behind, beyond, after, of place, (2) after, of time, with nouns, neut. of adjectives.

them.
αὐτῶν (autōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

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