Samuel, a respected seer, hosts Saul, a 'nobody', as his dinner guest. Samuel thus correctly bestows honour on his simple guest Saul and later anoints him king as God has directed. But in the Gospel, it is the reverse. Levi, a despised tax-collector, hosts Jesus, an honourable person, as his dinner guest. It is the guest, Jesus, who bestows honour upon the host, Levi, and his dishonourable companions at table. Thus does Jesus challenge participants (and observers!) to reshape their lives and the values of their culture, much like the Afro-American dinner guest in the motion picture Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? challenges the caucasian hosts to reconsider the reshape the discriminatory values of their culture in their time.

We need to be hospitable to people. Jesus' way of life demands that we respect even those we despise!