The Servant's Friends | Mark 2:13-17
Mark writes primarily to a Roman audience, focusing on demonstrating Jesus' power and authority through action rather than extensively quoting Old Testament prophecies. His goal is to present Jesus as both the almighty God and the servant king.
The book of Mark moves quickly, often providing more detail in a few verses than the other Gospels do in longer passages. This style serves Mark's purpose well, as he seeks to show Jesus as a man on a mission, revealing His authority over both physical and spiritual realms.
Jesus, the Friend of Sinners
As we come to Mark 2:13-14, we find Jesus walking by the seaside. The scene is bustling with activity - fishing boats unloading their catch, traders conducting business. In the midst of this, Jesus sees Levi, also known as Matthew, sitting at the tax collector's booth.
To understand the significance of this moment, we need to grasp who tax collectors were in that society. They were Jews who had essentially sold out their own people to the occupying Romans. They were allowed to collect more than required and keep the excess, leading to widespread corruption. As a result, tax collectors were despised, considered traitors, and ranked alongside thieves and murderers in Jewish society.
Yet it's to this social outcast that Jesus says, "Follow me." And remarkably, Levi does just that. He leaves everything behind - his lucrative but despised profession, his old life - to follow Jesus into an unknown future.
Why would Levi do this? While the passage doesn't explicitly tell us, we can infer that Jesus offered something Levi couldn't buy with all his ill-gotten gains: peace, joy, and eternal life. Levi saw in Jesus something he didn't have and couldn't attain on his own.
Levi's response to Jesus' call goes beyond simply following Him. In verse 15, we see that Levi hosts a dinner party in his house, inviting Jesus along with "many tax collectors and sinners." This gathering would have been shocking to the religious leaders of the day.
The term "sinners" here is a technical term used by the Pharisees for anyone they considered inferior or who didn't follow their strict interpretations of the law. So this dinner party was essentially gathering Capernaum's "most wanted" - the worst of the worst in society's eyes.
And right in the middle of it all sat Jesus, the sinless Son of God, eating and conversing with these "lawless, materialistic compromisers." Why would Jesus do this? Why risk His reputation?
The answer is simple yet profound: Jesus doesn't care about who a person is; He cares about what they can become. He saw in each of these "sinners" the potential for transformation, for a new life lived in service to God.
Jesus, the Enemy of the Self-Righteous
As news of this dinner party spread, the Pharisees were scandalized. They approached Jesus' disciples, questioning why their teacher would associate with such people. Their reaction reveals a stark contrast between Jesus' approach and their own.
The Pharisees prided themselves on their separation from those they considered sinful. They believed that associating with "sinners" would make them unclean. But Jesus demonstrated a radically different approach. He went to where the people were, met them in their circumstances, and offered them hope and transformation.
This is a crucial lesson for us as Christians today. It's easy for us to become "accidental Pharisees," looking down on those who don't meet our standards of morality or respectability. We might not vocalize it, but our actions often reveal a reluctance to engage with those who are different from us or who make us uncomfortable.
But Jesus calls us to a different way. He shows us that true Christianity involves reaching out to the marginalized, the outcast, and those society deems unworthy. It means being willing to step out of our comfort zones to share the love and message of Christ with all people, regardless of their background or current circumstances.
When Jesus hears the Pharisees' criticism, He responds with a simple yet profound statement: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Mark 2:17).
This response serves two purposes. First, it's a common-sense answer: of course, a doctor goes to those who are sick. But more importantly, it's a statement of Jesus' purpose and mission. He came for those who recognize their need for Him, not for those who think they have it all together.
This is a key element of the gospel message. Before we can come to Christ, we must first recognize our need for Him. We must acknowledge our sinful state and our inability to save ourselves. As Romans 3:23 reminds us, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Jesus is confronting the Pharisees' - and our - tendency to rely on our own good works or religious observance for righteousness. He's reminding us that the purpose of the law was to show us our need for a Savior, not to be a means of earning God's favor.
So what does this mean for us as followers of Christ today? How can we apply these truths to our lives and our interactions with others?
Recognize Our Own Need for Christ: First and foremost, we need to continually acknowledge our own need for Jesus. No matter how long we've been Christians or how "good" we think we are, we always need His grace and forgiveness.
Reach Out to the "Unlikely": Just as Jesus called Levi, we should be willing to reach out to those who might seem unlikely candidates for God's kingdom. This might mean befriending someone from a different social or economic background, or showing kindness to someone others avoid.
Create Welcoming Spaces: Levi hosted a dinner party where "sinners" could meet Jesus. How can we create environments where people feel welcome and can encounter Christ? This might be in our homes, our churches, or other community spaces.
Challenge Our Prejudices: We all have biases and prejudices, often unconscious ones. We need to regularly examine our attitudes and ask God to help us see people as He sees them - as individuals made in His image and worthy of love and respect.
Share the Gospel: Ultimately, Jesus didn't just socialize with "sinners" - He called them to repentance and offered them new life. We too should be ready to share the hope we have in Christ with those we meet.
Be Patient and Trust God: Remember, Jesus saw in Levi not just who he was, but who he would become - Matthew, the apostle and gospel writer. We may not see immediate results when we reach out to others, but we can trust that God is at work.
Reflection
The story of Jesus calling Levi reminds us of the transformative power of Christ's love. It challenges us to look beyond surface-level judgments and see the potential in every person we meet. It calls us to a faith that is active, engaging, and sometimes uncomfortable.
If this is true of our Saviour, then it should be true of us.
As we reflect on this passage, let's ask ourselves: Are we more like Jesus, willing to associate with and love those society rejects? Or are we more like the Pharisees, judging from a distance? Are we willing to step out of our comfort zones to share Christ's love with others?
Let's remember that the church should be a place where everyone is welcome, where people can come and find true friendship, and where they can encounter the life-changing love of Jesus. May we be known, like our Savior, as friends of sinners, always ready to share the hope we have in Christ.
As we go about our daily lives, may we keep our eyes open for the "Levis" around us - those who might seem unlikely candidates for God's kingdom but who, with Christ's touch, can become powerful witnesses to His grace. And may we always remember that we too were once lost, but now are found, once blind, but now we see - all because Jesus, the friend of sinners, called us to follow Him.
