Luke 5:27-39  This chapter reminds me of the contemporary *song that speaks of diving into the deep end.. head first... being all in - completely abandoned into the Hands of Jesus.  The leper was all in.. falling on his marred face; the paralyzed man and his friends went all in.. digging a hole in the roof and letting the consequences fall as they may;  and now.. Levi, the tax-gatherer..

Levi, had a great job.  He was very well off, although despised by his Jewish kin, for he worked for the Romans.  But, when Jesus "noticed" him and called him,  Levi ( Matthew) "left everything behind and rose and began to follow Him." 

All in...  Levi didn't look at what he had just walked away from, but he looked at those he knew and held a reception at his house so that others could meet Jesus too.  The Pharisees were watching.. and complaining.. " Why do you eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and sinners?" they asked the disciples.  But Jesus is the one that answers, " 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." 

They could not argue with this, so they posed another question.  This one was a criticism about the disciple's lack of fasting.  Jesus also explains this, comparing the disciples to a groom's attendants.
A time of fasting will come later.  Right now, it wasn't needed.

Jesus uses a parable to teach them that He was doing a new work. You wouldn't cut a piece from a new garment to patch an old one.  You wouldn't put new wine in an old wineskin either.  Both things would be foolish and useless.  If they wanted to keep the old traditions but take part of what Jesus was revealing to them... it wouldn't work.  To truly follow Jesus you need to go "all in"!

This chapter gives us three amazing examples of people who went "all in" with Jesus.  The leper who fell on his face, the paralyzed man who picked up his stretcher and walked, and Matthew, who left everything he had worked for to follow Jesus.  This is what Jesus calls us to do.. " If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." ( Luke 9:23)  Try to save your life and you will lose it, Jesus said,  but lose it for Him.. and you will be saved.

Father in heaven,  You have called us to follow Jesus.. to be all in.. head first in the deep end.  Help us to do this.. daily.. to lay down our burdens, our worries, our fears.. and our wills;  to take up our cross and follow Jesus.  Take my life and let it be.. consecrated fully, Lord, to Thee!  I present my body to You as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is my spiritual service of worship. Amen

 (* Song "All In"  is by Matthew West)