Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.
Parallel translations
- WEB Levi made a great feast for him in his house. There was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them.
- KJV 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.
- BSB Then 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.
- NASB And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.
- NLT Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Levi hosts a great feast for Jesus with many tax collectors present. His gratitude expresses itself in joyful, evangelistic hospitality.
Overview
Levi celebrates his new life by gathering his fellow outcasts to meet Jesus around a table. The feast reflects both his joy and his desire that others encounter Christ. Jesus' willingness to share this meal embodies the gospel welcome extended to sinners and provokes the criticism that follows.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Luke 15:1Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming close to him to hear him.
- Mark 2:15He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners sat down with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many, and they followed him.
- 1 Cor 5:9–11I wrote to you in my letter to have no company with sexual sinners;
- Matt 9:10As he sat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.
- 1 Cor 10:27But if one of those who don’t believe invites you to a meal, and you are inclined to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no questions for the sake of conscience.
- John 12:2So they made him a supper there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 5:29 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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