Jesus is Calling

Introduction

Mark 2:13–17 KJV 1900

And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 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. 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. 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? 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.

Matthew 2:13–17 KJV 1900

And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Beth-lehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,

The Toll Station

When Jesus met Levi (who is also Matthew) he would have likely come to a toll station along the road from Decapolis, a region of ten cities, to the area ruled by Herod Antipas. It was at this station that Jesus called Levi from the life he lived as a tax collector. Without reservation Levi would stand up and walk out on a very lucrative position to follow Jesus.

The Dinner Party

There is some minor disagreement about where this dinner party took place. Most believe it was held at Levi’s house and others say it could have been Jesus’ house. It is more likely that it was Levi’s house and it was a gathering that allowed him to introduce to his friends to Jesus and the new life that he was about to embark upon.

The Pharisees Accusation

“How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?” Publicans was referring to tax collectors. Sinners was not referring to people who had committed sin. Rather, sinners in their accusation here would have referred to the outcasts of community. Publicans and Sinners would be those that had regular contact with gentiles. They did not keep the law for one reason or another. They also had been excommunicated from the synogogue and were considered by the Pharisees to be people to avoid in any situation.

While they noted that Publicans and Sinners were present the accusation came in the fact that Jesus was eating and drinking with them. This association with these publicans and sinners was known at Table of Fellowship. This kind of association was not something a good Jew would share with men as abase as Publicans and Sinners. This kind of activity on the part of Jesus infuriated the Pharisees.

The Savior’s Challenge

“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.” When is the last time you saw healthy people flooding the doctor’s office? That was Christ’s point, that it is the sick that need a physician and in the same way it is the “sinners” that need a spiritual physician because of their sinful condition. He made it clear that they were the people he came to call to repentance.

One thing to note is that Jesus was not saying the Pharisees were righteous. He was referring to their attitude. They believed they were righteous. They believed that the people with whom Jesus was sharing the Table of Fellowship with were sinners and not worth the time of any religious teacher or leader. Jesus cannot accomplish his will in someone that does not acknowledge their condition any more than a physician can treat someone until they realize they are sick and seek out his office for diagnosis.

Jesus made it very clear that his purpose was to come to those that needed a call to repentance, but he also was going to the people that realized there was a need for such a call.

Jesus Came to Sinners

What a wonderful thought it is that Jesus came to sit with sinners. We know that he did not come to participate in the transgressions of the sinners, but he came to sit with sinners, to be present with sinners, and to teach sinners. All of this was part of a greater plan for our lives. It should be noted that no one was else was going to come to these sinners. They were outcasts. They were people that all of society had rejected. They were the people that had no value in the eyes the religious leaders of their community.

To the rejected, the outcasts, the devalued, and the sinner Christ comes to offer love, grace, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness.

Jesus Combatted the Critics

When someone is rejected there is someone behind that rejection. When someone is an outcast to society someone threw them out. When someone is devalued there was someone to tell them they were not worth an investment. When someone is labeled a sinner without any resolution being offered there is someone that is judging them unworthy redmption from their condition.

In all of these cases the people behind elements are critics. They are people that have elevated themselves above them and convinced the rejected, the outcasts, the devalued, and the sinner that they are nothing, they are worthless, and that they are not worthy of redemption. Jesus stands in the faces of these critics and speaks with authority and combats their criticism with truth.

Jesus Embraces the Rejected

Jesus Welcomes the Outcast

Jesus Invests in the Devalued

Jesus Fellowships with the Sinner

Jesus Called the Sinners

“They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I cam not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Jesus came to the sinners and combatted the critics all for the purpose of calling the sinners to repentance. The critics had rejected them for their actions and Jesus embraced them with the opportunity for redemption. The critics had cast them out for their transgressions and Jesus welcomed them to start a new journey. The critics had devalued them, counting them unworthy of spiritual help and Jesus Invested in them with his love to show them their value to the Father. The critics had labeled them sinners, and they were, but the critics offered them no solution for their condition. Jesus comes to the sinner, fellowships with a sinner, and calls the sinner to repentance.

So while the Pharisees wanted to exclude them, austorocize them, and look down on them Jesus desired to call them from the life they led to fellowship with him through repentance so that they could experience a new life comprised of Joy and fulfillment that the law could not afford them. Jesus called them to repentance, but it was so much more than that.

Conclusion: Jesus is Calling

You may be here this morning thinking I am part of that group that was rejected, cast out, devalued, and labeled. You might be thinking I am part of that group that has been criticized, mocked, judged, and astrocized. You might be thinking that you were part of that group that has been offered no help, no hope, no redemption, and no forgiveness.

May I tell you that Jesus came to people just like you to offer you all of that and more. He combatted your critics, he fought your battles, and ultmately he paid your price for a new life. He loved you enough to stand in the face of all those that would discount your value and he showed you, through his death, that you were valuable to him and to his father.

May I tell you that today he calls you to repentance so he can offer you amore abundant, more free, and more satisfied life than you could ever imagine. He calls you to repent, to believe upon him, and to start a new journey full of acceptance, love, fulfillment, and joy.

If you are here this morning and you have already responded to Christ’s Call, accepted Christ’s forgiveness, and experienced Christ love may I ask you if you are living out the mission he taught you. After all, he came to you, he combatted your critics, and he called you to a new life in him through repentance. How are you living out what Christ did for you? Do you find yourself acting like the Pharisees, being the very critic of another that Christ combatted for you to find forgiveness and redemption?

If you are here this morning and you have already responded to Christ’s Call, accepted Christ’s forgiveness, and experienced Christ love may I ask you living out the mission he taught you. After all, he came to you, he combatted your critics, and he called you to a new life in him through repentance. How are you living out what Christ did for you? Do you find yourself acting like the Pharisees, being the very critic of another that Christ combatted for you to find forgiveness and redemption?

If you have not experienced the new life that Christ offers you I tell you this morning that JESUS IS CALLING. If you have recieved him JESUS IS CALLING you to live out what he taught you. Do not be the critic, be the one that Jesus uses to come to the sinner, to combat their critics, and to call them to the repentance and the new life that Christ offered you when you were that rejected, outcasted, devalued, sinner that Christ looked upon with love.