I did not come to call the righteous but sinners. Today’s Gospel reading recounts the calling of Levi, a tax collector who became a follower of Jesus. It is a calling that took place a Jesus was gaining some momentum in his ministry of preaching the good news. Jesus’ fame was spreading far and wide and it appears his ministry was slowly turning into a movement (people coming to him wherever he was in order to listen to him). Not only was he attracting larger and larger crowds, but he was also consolidating his inner circle. In today’s account, he happened to pass by where Levi was manning his tax-collector’s post. We are not told whether Levi had shown some interest in what Jesus was doing or whether this was the first time the two were meeting. We are only told that at Jesus’ beckoning, Levi left his post and proceeded to host a banquet for Jesus and his friends. And in total dismay of the self-proclaimed “righteous” who were also present, Jesus allowed some of Levi’s friends as well as some known “sinners” to join him at table. As expected, they (the self-proclaimed righteous) made their feelings known. Their complaint elicited from Jesus the proverbial I did not come to call the righteous phrase. It was a remark that at first sight might appear divisive and biased. Does Jesus segregate? Does he have his favorites? Of course not.
Jesus' mission is universal, and every man and woman, as a matter of fact, every created being is Jesus' favorite. Jesus comes to us as one of us, flesh and bones as our own. He has come to his own (cf. John 1:11a) in order to raise them up and lead them to the light (cf. John 1:9b). But for that to happen, we have to accept him, not only as our own, but as our means to salvation. Only the one who accepts his/her situation as desperate and in need of intervention can reach out for help. Jesus comes calling, but we can only hear his voice if we know him and if what he is saying strikes a chord in us. A self-declared righteous person is 'sinless,' and as such has no need for the saving intervention of Jesus. But as John reminds us, he/she who says is without sin is a liar (cf. I John 1:8), for all have sinned (cf. Romans 3:23). Jesus’ remark was directed to the self-declared righteous to call them to introspection. If they happened to be without sin, then there was no need for them to hang with Jesus. But if they too were sinners, then they had no right to judge others.