Scandalous Pursuit

Main Idea

Grace calls me to trade comfort for compassion and move toward those the world keeps at a distance.

As we begin today, I thought it would be helpful to review the types of individuals Jesus has helped so far:

He has called fisherman

He has healed or helped:

a demon-possessed man in a synagogue

Peter’s mother-in-law

a leper

a paralytic in that condition because of sin

Today, we will see Jesus call a tax collector and intentionally share a meal with sinners.

Tell me… what do all of these people have in common? These were rejects… unworthy of being called and trained by, or of having fellowship with a Rabbi. No teacher in their right mind would have given people from this group a second thought.

In a first-century context, fishermen are considered commoners and uneducated, lacking the qualifications to be good students. A woman had little value in their society. A demon-possessed man… need I say more? A leper, really? I can’t even get close enough to teach him, let alone fellowship with him… and besides… he is under God’s wrath, getting his just desserts, right? And don’t get me started on the paralytic who was marred physically because of the sins he had committed in the past.

None of these people are first-draft picks. And yet, they are exactly who Jesus comes to love, restore, and call.

Passage

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.”

I - An Unlikely Follower

Levi is Matthew. This is Matthew, as in the writer of the gospel of Matthew. We can know this from the parallel account in his own gospel (9:9-13). We understand from our perspective who he will become and the huge impact he will have on the Christian faith, but right now, he isn’t that man. He hasn’t done anything for God’s kingdom. For now… he is Levi, the tax collector.

A tax collector. In the first century, few figures were more despised in Jewish society than the tax collector. These men were not just government contractors—they were agents of an unfair system and obvious symbols of foreign control. Levi, the man Jesus called while sitting at his tax booth, was one of these figures. His “tax office” wasn’t a quiet government building—it was more like a toll booth set up on a busy trade route. Every traveler, merchant, or caravan passing through had to stop and pay—and Levi was the man collecting.

To become a tax collector, Levi would have purchased a tax franchise (like a business license) from the Roman authorities or, in his region, from Herod Antipas, who ruled over Galilee. This wasn’t a salaried job—it was an investment because tax collectors paid for the right to gather tolls and customs, and once granted that right, they could charge virtually any amount they wanted above what Rome required. This meant anything above that went straight into their own pockets. As you might imagine, this system was ripe for abuse and extortion, and tax collectors became fabulously wealthy—at the cost of their fellow Jews. Therefore, in Jewish eyes, Levi was a traitor: a man who sold out his people to profit off their suffering under Roman occupation.

The stigma ran deep. According to rabbinic writings like the Mishnah and the Talmud, tax collectors were classed alongside murderers and thieves. They were disqualified from serving as judges or witnesses in court because they were considered untrustworthy. Their testimony was deemed worthless. They were expelled from the synagogue, their presence a source of shame to their families, and even their touch could render a house ritually unclean. According to some Rabbis, the Jewish people were even allowed to lie to tax collectors, and it wouldn’t be considered immoral! To a Torah-observant Jew, Levi was not just disliked—he was untouchable. He’s not that different from the leper; only the leper couldn’t do anything about his condition. Tax collectors chose to be what they are.

Two important details in this section:

1. Jesus taught the crowd. Time and again, we see Jesus going about His primary mission of preaching and teaching about the kingdom of God. Although we don’t see widespread repentance from the crowds, it never stopped Jesus from teaching them. Jesus was always willing to proclaim the good news to any size crowd.

2. Jesus called the individual. But, as we discussed last week, it is never about the crowd; it’s always about the individual. This is where the power of this story begins. Despite Levi being the untouchable reject of the town, Jesus walked right up to him and said two simple, history-altering words: “Follow me.” In that moment, just like the two sets of brothers before him, Levi left behind his wealth, his position, and his reputation—such as it was—and followed Jesus. Jesus’ authority compelled him out of his seat and away from a secure financial future. This is the nature of this call. It isn’t passive or contemplative. It’s not simply a decision to believe certain facts about a religious system. It is a call and command to action. It compels you to leave behind what you thought was important… to sacrifice your vision of your future, to risk stepping into the unknown, and to cast out your comforts. It is a call to do something that costs you. With that in mind, I ask you to reflect on the nature of your faith. Is it actionable (faith without works is dead, after all), and is it costing you in ways that are uncomfortable or even painful? If not, you may want to re-evaluate the meaning of biblical faith.

Relational Evangelism. Jesus powerfully models relational evangelism when He calls Levi to follow Him. He didn’t look to the crowd and think of it as an evangelistic crusade to sway hundreds from a distance and then leave. He wanted to call one into intimate fellowship. In doing so, Jesus not only invited a notorious sinner into discipleship but also publicly redefined what kind of person could enter the kingdom of God. This was a scandalous pursuit. The religious elite would never have given Levi a second glance. Jesus, however, knows what Levi can become if he would but leave his sinful lifestyle behind and follow Him in faith.

II - A Friend to Sinners

Levi brought all his friends. This one sentence speaks volumes. Here, you see an encounter between two complete opposites. One is the fully righteous Son of God and Son of Man from Daniel 7, who comes into contact with a man who has lost all respect in his community. He is seen as unclean, an extortioner, unreliable, and a backstabbing traitor working with their oppressors. Yet, after a brief encounter with the Son of Man, he felt comfortable enough and even eager to bring others like him to Jesus. Mark tells us that many tax collectors and sinners were at the dinner table. Luke, however, describes it as a grand banquet with a large crowd of tax collectors and others. This wasn’t a small group of co-workers from the tax office. It was a huge meal with a big crowd of outcasts.

So, ask yourself: are unbelievers comfortable talking to you? When they see your reaction to what they say or how they look, do they feel offended? When they hear you speak, do they sense condemnation? When they walk away from the conversation, do they want to ever meet you again? There is a time and a place for speaking the truth in tough love, and we should never compromise on God’s moral expectations. But that doesn’t mean that we use the sword of the Spirit to run them through. After Levi’s first encounter with the Messiah, he threw a banquet so that everyone he knew could come and meet Him! If we are to be salt and light, we must remember that salt enhances and preserves… and light illuminates and beckons. Is that who you are to unbelievers?

Table Fellowship. Let me begin by saying that while the Baptists don’t always get things right, they certainly hit the nail on the head with their potlucks. There is something special about sharing a meal around the dinner table. Unless you are like Uncle Jimmy at the Thanksgiving table, who wants to dominate the conversation with political views and extremist rhetoric, most people can come to the table and let their guard down. You get to know the person on the inside, not just the expression of the person you see on the outside. Table fellowship is a gift from God that gradually unifies the people around it because, as you tell stories and jokes and listen to their life experiences, you humanize them instead of villainizing them. Jesus has an incredible ability to look past the exteriors and stigmas to the core of a person. Yes, He is God and can see into people’s minds and hearts, but there is something here that is replicable for us, even as mere humans. Like Jesus, we can train ourselves to set aside perceptions, assumptions, stigmas, and appearances that are drastically different from our own. We can choose, with the strength and guidance of the Holy Spirit, to see the person and recognize their deep need to be freed from darkness and transformed by the power of the gospel. I have no doubt that Jesus knew how strong a force Levi would become, and I have a feeling that many of those rejects and untouchables also became mighty members of the Kingdom.

The Pharisees reject Jesus’ evangelistic efforts. Unfortunately, they didn’t agree with Jesus’ methods. But before we discuss their attitudes, let’s talk about who they are. The Pharisees don’t appear in the Old Testament and are everywhere in the Gospels, so it’s fair to ask: where did they come from? They actually emerged during the intertestamental period — the 400 years between Malachi and Matthew — a time of intense cultural pressure. After Alexander the Great conquered much of the known world, Jewish life was increasingly influenced by Greek philosophy, language, and customs. Many Jews were swept up in this new cultural wave. But others, determined to stay faithful to the law of Moses, resisted. These resistance leaders were known as the pious ones, and they served as the forerunners of what would become the Pharisees, which means ‘separated ones.’

By Jesus’ time, the Pharisees had become one of the most influential religious groups in Israel. They weren’t priests or politicians like the Sadducees; they were everyday tradesmen—merchants, craftsmen, and lay teachers—who had earned the respect of the people. Why? Because they took holiness seriously. They studied the Torah rigorously and developed a large body of oral traditions to help apply God’s law to daily life. But over time, their focus on external obedience led to spiritual pride. They built fences around the law and then treated those fences as if they were the law. The result? They saw themselves as “the righteous,” and everyone else—especially the sick, the poor, and the morally compromised—as “sinners.”

To the average Jewish person, the Pharisees didn’t have the negative PR they have today. They were both admired and intimidating. They appeared holy, sounded authoritative, and claimed to be the guardians of God’s will. But when Jesus appears in Mark’s Gospel, He doesn’t praise their efforts—He challenges their arrogance. In Mark 2, they’re stunned that Jesus would share a table with tax collectors and sinners. But Jesus isn’t impressed by their rules. He didn’t come for the rule-keepers; He came for the lost. The Pharisees held a high opinion of themselves—but Jesus came to show that the kingdom of God is not for those who think they’re already clean, but for those humble enough to admit they are dirty and cannot clean themselves.

But for now, they didn’t see that reality about themselves. They were probably on the outside looking in (because they wouldn’t dare have table fellowship with such people), and they asked some of Jesus’ disciples why HE is eating with such people. No doubt, they thought Jesus was harming his students by modeling such reckless behavior as their teacher.

Relational Evangelism. What’s fascinating is that these men, who were the religious pillars of the community, totally missed the mark. They were so focused on themselves and their own “righteousness” that they forgot God’s love for other broken people. If anyone had a reason to maintain their status of righteousness and avoid getting dirty with the uncleanliness of others, it is Jesus! He is the holy and righteous Son of God! And yet, He is the one leading the way to the lost, the broken, and the outcast by building relationships with them. Again, this is a scandalous pursuit.

He cares for them, and they can feel it, so they come to Him. Moreover, He fellowships with them without requiring them to convert. That is the goal, of course, but it is not mandatory. I mention that as a powerful realization for all of us. Jesus loved them radically enough to meet them where they are. Their repentance was not a requirement to receive His love and compassion. He loves us first, and it is His love that calls us all to reject our sinful lifestyles to follow Him.

III - A Physician to the Sick

This scandalous model of evangelism is why Jesus came to earth. He didn’t leave His heavenly home to be around righteous people. His mission was not to hang out with a fan club of people who were already flawless any more than a doctor’s goal is to be surrounded by healthy, whole patients. If the world were full of righteous people who were already righteous, Jesus would have stayed in heaven. That’s why He says, “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 Pharisees were not truly righteous. When Jesus said this, he was not claiming that the Pharisees were actually righteous. The real issue was that they didn’t realize they were just as sick as the ‘sinners’ they refused to associate with. The irony of this story is that the spiritually blind are the religious leaders. The tax collectors and sinners came to Jesus, and Levi chose to leave everything behind and follow him. Meanwhile, the Pharisees kept rejecting Jesus and his message of repentance and forgiveness. Their pride, education, and social status acted like chains, holding them back from true belief. They failed to see that they needed Jesus just as much as these societal outcasts.

A clear purpose statement. In the overview, I mentioned that the key verse in Mark’s gospel is Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” I highlighted this because it serves as a mission statement. Today’s final verse could be paired with this as Jesus’ purpose statement: “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.” If Jesus had come to the earth to hang out with the righteous, who would He have come to? Paul tells us that no one is righteous, not even one! Jesus would have entered an empty room. We are all spiritually sick and in need of mending; therefore, we all need Jesus.

🔥 Application:

This kind of pursuit was considered scandalous in Jesus’ time. Sadly, that hasn’t changed in 2,000 years. If you form friendships with today’s societal rejects, you will be looked down on. Church members will mock you, make assumptions, and speak poorly of you. I wish that weren’t the case, but it is.

1. Who are you supposed to pursue?

When you look at your social circles, are there any unbelievers there? Jesus wasn’t afraid to share meals with the rejected, the outcast, and the despised. He didn’t compromise truth, but He also didn’t wait for people to clean up their act before showing love, and He definitely didn’t stay in a Christian bubble.

Build real relationships with people far from God. Invite them into your home. Eat with them. Listen to them. Love them.

➤ Challenge: Make your life—and your table—a place where God's grace is not just spoken about, but genuinely lived.