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Reflection: When Jesus saw Levi sitting at the tax collector’s booth, everyone else already had a category for him. Tax collector. Traitor. Sinner. Someone to avoid. Jesus knew all of that, yet He saw more than a category. Luke says Jesus saw “a tax collector named Levi.” Then He did something surprising: He moved toward him. “Follow me,” Jesus said. Grace began before Levi cleaned up his life or proved he was worthy of the invitation. Jesus saw him and called him. We easily reduce people to what we know about them—their reputation, choices, politics, personality, failures, or past. Jesus reminds us to see a person first. Someone bears God’s image beneath every label we attach. Following Jesus means learning to look at people differently, especially those we might naturally avoid. Ask Him today to help you really see someone you have already categorized.

Application Question: Who have you been seeing primarily through a label, and what might change if you began seeing that person the way Jesus does?