Wrong people

This morning we are continuing series titled Criticizing Jesus: The Words of Jesus. In this five-week series we will look at the criticisms Jesus faced during his ministry. What does each criticism reveal about Jesus’s character, priorities, authority, and mission?

If you look at the Gospels you can find a number of time that Jesus faced criticism from the Pharisees, from scribes, from Herodians, from Romans, even from members of his own family.

Last week we look at a a moment when Jesus face some pretty harsh criticism. He was call Beelzeubul a demon. If you or i were called this we most likely would be very hurt by it. The scribes had no other way to explain what they were seeing with Jesus. They could only say that he was possessed by this demon.

Jesus did not get angry or biter for be called this. He basacil told them that a house divided can not stand against itself. It will fall. If you notch out a piller of a house it cant stand for longer before falling. You see Jesus can be a demon or possessed my Satan. You see Satan would not be able to stand if he opposed himself and was divided. Jesus waged war against the power of darkness. Even if you do not believe in spiritual warfare, and the powers of darkness. then a lot of what Jesus did and taught will seem like nonsense. But knowing he is all powerful over the forces of evil means you can turn to him in your time of need.

This week we will be taking a look at a different time that Jesus was missed judged by Pharisees.

If you have your bibles go head and turn to Mark 2:13-17. If you do not have your bible you can follow along on the screen in a few moments.

Before we look at today verses I have a question for you. So think for a moment.

Did your high school have social group?

If you high was anything like my there were different group all over the place. From the band nerds( that was me), to the gothic group, to the cheerleader and jock, to the book worms. There were some many different group. You could have been in different group but most of the time you stuck to the one or two that made you feel the best.

We think its the best and important when we associate with the right people. Different groups of people define who is okay differently, but for religious groups, many times they want to stay with the “good” and avoid the “bad,” however that is defined.

The same was true two thousand years ago when Jesus walked this earth. There were people to be associated with and people to avoid, and to the consternation of the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus completely ignored those social conventions.

Mark 2:13–17 CSB

13 Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 Then, passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him. 15 While he was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who were following him. 16 When the scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The calling of Levi

Jesus was walking a saw this man named Levi or (Matthew has he is called in other books) a tax collector. Jesus calls him to follow him. Why was this so wrong for Jesus to do? What was the big deal with telling a tax collector to follow me?

In those time tac collector were concerned to be the worst of the worst. This man had turn on the Jews people and start work for King to collect taxes for the Roman Empire. A lot time this men would take ten fold the amount for the taxes and keep alot for themselves.

This would be Like you calling the worst type of people to follow you. To learn for you.

We can learn a two things for this calling.

Jesus calls everyone

You must go immediately

Levi/ Matthew did not delay in follow Jesus. It say he got up and followed him. He doesn’t say a wait a minute let me finish this task first. Or wait I have to run this eran first. No he got up and start following.

As God called you to do something. Have you been putting him off cause you have better thing to do.

You must follow Jesus now. You never know when it would be your last.

Jesus did not care what other thought of him

The Pharisees hate the fact that Jesus was spending time with sinners. They would be think. One in their right mind would go a sit down with this people. Why would they. These tax collectors took our hard erned money. We do not like think them. We need to stay has far away from them so we do not catch their sin.

That not it at all. The Pharisees yet again missed what Jesus came to do. Missed again who Jesus was. Missed again that he really did not care that they thought they were more righteous.

Jesus came for everyone

Jesus shows us that God values everyone

Jesus was criticized for spending time with the “wrong” people;

Where do you fit into that story?