In Mark 2.13-17 we read the story of Levi, who was a tax collector working for Herod, the self-styled king of the Jews. Levi sat at the boundary between two territories collecting tolls from all who passed by when one day the Messiah–the true King of the Jews–walked by and called him to work at the boundary where the Kingdom of God was breaking into the world. Naturally, Levi threw a party to celebrate the promotion with his friends. When the local chapter of the moral militia heard that Jesus was at the party, they were upset that he was ignoring where they had drawn the line between the good guys and the bad guys. Wasn’t the Messiah supposed to bring judgment? Hadn’t they done him a favor by marking out who should be judged? Jesus’ answer tested the limits of their mercy, and will test ours if we’re willing to hear him anew.