Mark 2:13-22, Who did Jesus come for?

From J.C. Ryle’s “Expository Comments on the Gospels - Mark”

Pray

Mark 2:13-22

Mark 2:13–22 (NASB)

He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

Rules: Cell phones, questions and comments (be brief), stay on track, be respectful

Review: John, Jesus, Preaching, Teaching, Healing, and Saving

The beginning of Jesus Ministry, His ordination and trial

Preaching and healing

Forgiveness and saving

Introduction: Levi/Matthew, Christ’s call, the Great Physician, Old things are passed away

Levi is another name for Matthew,

Apostle and evangelist

This is his story

Christ’s Call - Mark 2:13-14

Mark 2:13–14 (NASB)

He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

Christ’s call is irresistible

Arose and followed, without question

Went from being a tax collector to an apostle, wrote the first book of the NT

First important truth: if Jesus does not call us, we cannot be saved

We are helpless, mired in sin, fixated on our stuff and the world, blind to our condition

To turn to Christ, God must speak to our hearts first, to open our eyes to our condition

To be children of God, we must be called of God

It is wonderful that God entrusts this calling to such a loving, wonderful saviour as Christ

Jesus call cannot be resisted, but

He acts with real mercy

Often calls those farthest from Him

Calls with power, enables us to break our sinful habits

Christ can soften the hardest heart

the voice of the Lord is mighty in operation

It is a real privilege to have our hearts opened to Christ, we are truly blessed

Lesson: We should never give up on anyone’s salvation

The one who called Levi is still working

Miracles still happen

Love of money is powerful, but Christ is more so

Matthew’s heart was hardened by money and greed but Christ got through

We must pray for others

The Great Physician - Mark 2:15-17

Mark 2:15–17 (NASB)

And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners - Pharisees found fault

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”

Jesus did not come into the world to be just a king, a teacher and an example

Medicine and rules are fine for those who are not dying

Those who are dying need a doctor

Rules helped Adam until he contracted the sin disease, then he needed a healer

Sinners need healing first, then we can deal with rules

Jesus came to us to be both a physician and a teacher

Saw we were sick of the deadly sin disease and dying daily

Saw we were destined for Hell

Came to give health, cure the dying, heal the broken-hearted, give strength to the weak

No sinner is too far gone for Him

He is glorified by healing the most difficult cases

He has perfect skill, loving tenderness, great experience

None like Him

Lesson: Do we understand this special office of Christ?

Have we experience with sin, guilt, hopelessness?

Have we turned to Christ for help, for relief?

We can’t be right with God until we do.

Feeling our sins and sickness - the beginning of real Christianity

We can rejoice when we realize our sinful condition because then we can seek the healer.

Christ is the Doctor we require, we need to turn to Him without delay

Old things are passed away - Mark 2:18-22

Mark 2:18–22 (NASB)

Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

In religion, can’t mix old and new - things that fundamentally differ.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mk 2:21–22). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

These are a parable, an example - addressing the Pharisees question “Why do John’s disciples fast, but yours don’t?”

Fasting was appropriate for John’s disciples

Transition for OT to NT

John was the bridegroom’s friend

John’s ministry is coming to an end as Jesus’ ascends

Fasting not appropriate for Jesus disciples

Rejoice at coming of Messiah

Reconciliation and redemption - Jesus is the bridegroom - marriage of the Lamb

New covenant/Gospel

Fasting would be appropriate later, after Jesus death and resurrection

Important Lesson - don’t mix things that differ

Christianity is not Judaism (Galatians)

Christianity, greek philosophy and paganism don’t mix

Modern day - service of Christ to service of the world

Godly and ungodly

New wine with old wineskins

No man can serve two masters - New wine must be put in new skins

Bringing it home

The call of Jesus - its loving, gentle, sweet, irresistible and necessary - pray for it if you haven’t experienced it.

Jesus, not just a king and judge, but a healer and teacher

Mixing things that cant be mixed - oil and water, new wine and old skins, old religion and Christianity, Christianity and paganism

Prayer

Discussion and Questions