Mark 2:13-17

Mark 2:13–17 KJV (WS)

13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. 15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? 17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Introduction

As we continue on with the controversies that Jesus went through in the early stages of Mark, we come upon a story that illustrates how Jesus values all kinds of people.

We can be so harsh sometimes in our valuation of each other.

We cast off people too quickly that we deem to be irredeemable.

Jesus shows a significantly different approach.

You would think that this kind of approach would be received and applauded by the spiritual leaders of Israel.

Instead, envy and pride cast a filter on the pharisees and scribes perceptions.

After the healing of the palsied man, every word and action of Jesus will now be scrutinized.

It all starts with the calling of a new disciple.

Jesus calls another follower.

Mark sets the scene, by giving a glimpse at what Jesus had been doing on this particular day.

He was preaching by the seaside.

Sharing the message of the kingdom and calling people to repent and believe the gospel.

Mark says that a multitude of people resorted to him.

Jesus has all of the popularity that you could want.

The purpose of this story is less about the crowds and more about the individuals.

After he finished teaching, Jesus is passing along the road and sees a man named Levi sitting in the seat of customs.

This was probably the place where the fisherman had to pay their taxes on the proceeds from their fishing businesses.

Levi was a Jewish man who had become agent of the hated Edomite, Herod.

This association by itself made him an outcast just as much as the leper from last week.

We don’t actually know if Levi was a dishonest man, though most tax collectors were.

If Galileans held a contest to choose the most hated man, Levi would have won hands down.

Whether crooked or not, Levi would have easily amassed a fortune by selling his soul to be a tax collector for the Romans.

The poor and the powerless are his prime victims.

Until Jesus comes by.

Jesus speaks just two words and changes Levi’s life.

Jesus invites Levi to “follow me.”

Without question, Levi gets up and leaves his desk to follow Jesus.

Simon, Andrew, James and John could all fall back on the family business.

By breaking his contract with the romans, Levi could never go back.

He burned his bridges.

We even see this in his name.

Most of us know Levi by the name associated with his gospel, Matthew.

Levi is probably his birth name.

Matthew may have been a self-chosen name after his salvation.

Why would Jesus choose a man so hated and seemingly unfit for a place next to Jesus?

Jesus saw great value in Matthew.

Jesus planned to use Matthew’s accountant mind to complement Mark, the journalist and Luke, the physician.

Matthew is thrilled by his new job and position.

We see this in what he does next.

Matthew would have been ostracized from most of Jewish society.

Only other outcasts would have been friendly to him.

Matthew invites Jesus over to his house.

With the intent of introducing Jesus to his friends.

Isn’t this incredible?

Matthew is so taken by his new master that he wants all of his friends to meet him.

The Bible says that many were there and many followed him.

Along with the sinners that were believing in Jesus, there were Pharisees that had let themselves in to the party.

Eastern freedom meant that uninvited guests could come in and watch the meal.

They could stand on the sides and listen or sometimes interact with the conversations at the table.

Of course, the Pharisees are not over-joyed by what they see.

They make their thoughts known through Jesus’ disciples.

The Pharisees are subtle, they don’t go directly to Jesus, they go to his disciples.

They ask why Jesus is eating with these sinners.

It takes 2 people to destroy you.

An enemy to slander you.

And a friend to tell you about it.

The pharisees were hyper aware of trying to keep themselves pure.

Eating with sinners was a major no-no.

They expected everyone else to hold the same standards as everyone else.

Jesus had a high standard of conduct and hatred for sin.

No scribe or pharisee ever condemned sin in stronger terms than Jesus did.

Separation from sin does not mean separation from sinners.

To go down in filth to wallow there is vile.

To go down in order to lift others up is Christ’s mission and Christ-like.

Jesus specializes in using the rejected.

Matthew’s friends were not rejects to Jesus, they were patients.

Jesus communicates this to the attendees.

He tells them that those that are whole do not need a physician.

This is really a compliment to the pharisees.

Jesus is compliments the pharisees’ righteousness.

If you believe you are whole, then you bar yourself from getting good from Jesus

Jesus then expresses hope for the needy.

He is the doctor for the sick.

He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

He came looking for the rejects because they are the ones that know they need redemption.

Michaelangelo’s pieta

Too poor to buy his own marble.

Had to use rejected marble from other artists

Application

Mark presents the call of Levi as an act of forgiveness and a crossing of the boundary between God and sinners.

If we are going to learn from this passage then I think it’s important for us to follow Jesus’ example.

Who is the Matthew that you need to invest in?

Outcast

Unlikeable.

Rejected

Hopeless.

What group needs you to invest in them?

Do you see a tendency within yourself to act like a pharisee towards those that you deem to be impure?

Conclusion

Be careful that we don’t discount people because we see them as unlikely to respond.

We need to be the ones to go after the hard-to-reach individuals in our community with the gospel.