Levi's Feast

Et fecit ei convivium magnum Levi in domo sua... Qui domicilio Christum recipit interno, maximis delectationibus exsuperantium pascitur voluptatum. Itaque Dominus libenter ingreditur, et in ejus qui crediderit recumbit affectum, et hoc est bonorum operum spiritale convivium, quo dives populus eget, pauper epulatur. Et erat turba multa pubilicanorum et aliorum qui cum illis erant discumbtentes... Viderant publicanum a peccatis ad meliora conversum, locum invenisse poenitentiae, et ob id etiam ipsi non desperant salutem. Et murmurabant pharisaei et scribae eorum dicentes ad discipulos ejus: Quare cum publicanis et peccatoribus manducatis et bibitis? Convivantibus cum Domino publicanis, pharisaei murmantes de jejunio gloriantur. Ubi primo legis et gratiae quanta sit distantia declaratur uia qui legem sequuntur, ieiunae mentis famem patiantur aeternam; qui vero verbum in interioribus animae receperunt alimenti coelestis, et fontis ubertate recreati, esurire et sitire non possint. Deinde retributionis futurae species praefiguratur, quando epulantibus cum Christo electis, perfidia superborum ieiuna torquebitur, quibus dicitur: Meretrices et publicani praecedent vos in regnum Dei. Quod sit per Matthaei electionem fides gentium, quae prius mundi lucris inhiabant, sed nunc corpus Christi sedula devotione reficiuntur, exprimitur, profecto supercilium Pharisaeorum, Iudaeorum invidiam, qua degentium salute torquentur, insinuat. Et respondens Iesus, dixit ad illos: Non egent qui sani sunt medico, sed qui male habent. Non veni vocare iustos, sed peccatores in poenitentiam. Suggillat Scribas et Pharisaeos, qui iustos se putantes, peccatorum consortia declinabant. Seipsum namque medicum dicit, qui miro medicandi genere vulneratus est propter iniquitates nostras, et livore eius sanati sumus. Sanos autem et iustos appellat eos qui ignorantes Dei iustitiam, et suam volentes constituere, iustitiae Dei non sunt subiecti, qui ex lege praesumentes Evangelii gratiam non quaerunt. Porro male habentes, et peccatores vocat eos, qui suae fragilitatis conscientia devicti, nec per legem iustificari posse videntes, Christi se gratiae poenitendo submittunt. Ubi simul ostenditur quod non in pristinis vitiis permanentes, ut Scribae et Pharisaei murmurabant, sed poenitentiam agentes Publicani venerint ad Iesum; et ipse quoque Iesus convivia peccatorum, ut occasionem haberet docendi, et spiritales invitatoribus suis praeberet cibos, adire dignatus sit. Denique cum frequenter pergere ad convivium describatur, nihil refertur aliud nisi quid ibi fecerit, quid docuerit, et ut humilitas Domini eundo ad peccatores, et potentia doctrinae eius in poenitentium conversione, monstretur. Sanctus Beda, In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, Liber II, Caput V Source: Migne PL 92.389c-390b

And Levi made a great feast for Him in his house... 1 He who receives Christ in his internal abode, feasts with the greatest delight on the most excellent joys. Thus the Lord gladly enters, and He reclines in the affection of him who believes, and this is the spiritual feast of good works, where the rich lack and the poor man feasts. And there was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who sat with them... They had seen that the tax collector had turned from sins to better things and had found the place of penitence, and because of it they did not despair of salvation. And the Pharisees and their Scribes murmured, saying to His disciples: 'Why does He eat and drink wih tax collectors and sinners?' While the Lord dines with tax collectors, the murmuring Pharisees glory in fasting. Here the great difference between the Law and Grace is first declared. Because they who follow the Law, they suffer the eternal hunger of the fasting mind. But it is not possible for him who receives the Word in the interior of the soul and is renewed from the fount of bounty to hunger and thirst. Finally the type of future reward is prefigured here, when the elect feast with Christ and the treachery of the proud is tormented with fasting. To these it is said: 'Whores and tax collectors go before you into the kingdom of God.' 2 For by the election of Matthew is expressed the faith of the Gentiles who previously lusted for the wealth of the world, but now restore their bodies with the careful attention of Christ, and certainly it suggests the arrogance of the Pharisees and the envy of the Jews, which is tormented by the salvation of the Gentiles. And Jesus answered, saying to them: 'They who are healthy have no need of a physician, but they who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to pentience.' He reproves the Scribes and Pharisees who think themselves righteous men and refuse to associate with sinners. For He calls Himself a physican, who with a wondrous type of medicine 'was wounded for our wickedness and His bruises healed us.' 3 He calls them healthy who are righteous, and ignorant of the righteousness of God, and imposing their own wills, will not be subject to the righteousness of God, 4 those who are presumptuous because of the Law and do not seek the grace of the Gospel. But He calls them sick and sinners who conquered by their awareness of their fragility, seeing that they are not able to be justified through the Law, submit themselves in penance to the grace of Christ. Where at the same time it is shown that they did not remain in their old faults, because of which the Phariesses and Scribes murmured, but the tax collectors came in penitence to Jesus. And because of this Jesus Himself is made worthy to come to the feasts of sinners, so that He might have an occasion for teaching, and prepare spiritual food for those invited. Finally when it is said that a crowd comes to the feast, this refers to nothing else but what shall be done there and what taught, and it reveals the humility of the Lord in His coming to sinners, and the power of His teaching in converting to penance. Saint Bede, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Luke, Book 2, Chapter 5 1 Lk 5.14 2 Mt 21.31 3 Isaiah 53.5 4 Rom 10.3