OET interlinear LUKE 5:31

Section 5:27–32: Jesus chose Levi to become one of his disciples

In this section, Jesus asked a man named Levi to be his disciple. For the meaning of “disciple,” see the note at 5:30a.

Levi was a tax collector. Jews hated tax collectors for at least two reasons:

1. Tax collectors worked for the Roman government or for Herod’s government. These were foreign governments that ruled the Jews.

2. Tax collectors sometimes collected more money than necessary. Then they kept the extra money and became rich.

This story also tells about another conflict that Jesus had with the Jewish religious leaders. After Levi became Jesus’ disciple, Jesus came to have dinner at his house. Levi’s friends, who were also tax collectors or other sinners, also came to the dinner. During the dinner, the religious leaders criticized Jesus for associating with such people. Jesus answered that it is people who know they are sinners who need him, not people who believe themselves to be righteous.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Jesus called Levi to be his disciple and ate with sinners

Jesus loves sinners

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 9:9–13 and Mark 2:13–17.

Paragraph 5:31–32

Jesus responded to the Pharisees’ rhetorical question in 5:30 with a proverb and applied the proverb to his own work. Notice that the proverb and the way that Jesus applied it are parallel, and the similar parts are in the same order:

It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Jesus was comparing healthy people to righteous ones and sick people to sinners. He was comparing himself to a doctor.

Jesus used the words “healthy,” “sick,” and “doctor” as figures of speech. The “healthy” people represent people who think that they are already righteous and who think that they do not need any help. The “sick” represent people who know that they are sinners and need Jesus’ help. The “doctor” represents Jesus, who can help the sinners to become righteous.

It is important that people understand this figurative meaning. See the General Comment on 5:31–32 at the end of the notes on 5:32b and the Display for 5:31a and the following verse parts for translation suggestions.

Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor,

• ¶ Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Healthy/Well people are not the ones who need a doctor.

• ¶ Hearing this, Jesus replied to them, “The people who need a doctor are not the healthy ones.

• Jesus answered/told them that it was not healthy people who needed the help of a doctor.

but the sick.

• Rather, it is the sick people who need a doctor.

• Instead, it is sick people who need a doctor’s help.

• Rather, it was sick people who needed a doctor’s help.

General Comment on 5:31a–b

Consider how to translate this so that it sounds like a proverb. In some languages it may be natural to reverse the order of the verse parts. For example:

^31bIt is sick people, ^31anot healthy people, who need a doctor.

See also the General Comment on 5:31–32 at the end of the notes on 5:32b.