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.”—Mark 2:13–17

Introduction

One of the biggest problems with having a big church is that we can have a crowd mentality instead of a disciple mentality. We can have a crowd coming to hear a message instead of people coming to follow Christ together. This was the fatal flaw with the seeker sensitive movement. What you win them with is what you win them to. If you win them with cotton candy, don’t expect them to stick around when you serve them Brussels sprouts.

Now let me be crystal clear in what I am saying and what I am not saying. There are two ditches to avoid here. “Seeker sensitive” might be a misnamed movement, because what they really are is “seeker driven.” Church services are driven by how to attract seekers in such a way that one builds a bigger crowd of seekers. But think about the opposite of being seeker driven: The opposite of being seeker driven is not being seeker sensitive, it would be seeker insensitive. One should not go into the other ditch and say, “We don’t care at all about seekers. We should make it as hard as possible for them to understand. That way, if they stick around we know it will be a miracle and God has done it.” The church must not try to win people with trendy attractions like countdown clocks, pastors in Hawaiian shirts, smoke machines, and whatever else.

If you are a visitor or a seeker or a skeptic and you are checking us out, I want you to know that you are welcome. Very welcome. You don’t have to be a follower of Christ to come to our services. We are very happy that you are checking out Christianity. We care about you and we want you to know what you will get when you come here. We do not have trendy attractions for you; we only have the timeless attraction of Christ. Jesus is the one attraction of the church. If he be lifted up, he will do the drawing. If you start by trying to attract a crowd, you will not end up with a church. If you start by trying to make disciples of Christ, you will find that you will have a church of Christ—a church that Christ himself builds, and the gates of hell will not stand against it. The first two verses of our text today contain this incredibly important distinction between a crowd and a disciple:

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.—Mark 2:13–14

Both the crowd and the disciples hear Jesus teaching. But only disciples follow Jesus. The crowd comes to him (and then leaves), but a disciple follows Jesus (permanently—as a way of life). The word “follow” is a word only used for disciples of Jesus in the 19 times it is used in Mark. It is not used for those who oppose Jesus. It is not just what someone thinks, but what someone does. It defines them as who they are fundamentally. 

What accounts for the difference? What they do or what Jesus does? Why does someone follow Jesus? Jesus calls. Jesus teaches the crowds, but he calls his disciples. Once again Mark emphasizes the call of Jesus. He does not present any other psychological or situational indicator of why these people follow Jesus. The disciples do not say, “You make a pretty compelling case for why we should follow. We are convinced.” He does not threaten—“follow me or else.” He does not incentivize—“follow me and I will give you.” He just says “follow me” and they follow.

We have emphasized that what is on display is the sheer power of the Creator. Let there be light and there was light. He commands the demons to flee and they do. He commands the wind to stop and it does. He commands lepers to be cleansed and they are. Demons do not stop and say, “You know you make a good point, I am not convinced.” The power is found in the Word as a word of command, not a word of appeal that would try to persuade or present a case. The Word is a word of power—a word of creation. God has the power to create what he calls for. He says to the paralyzed man: “Rise, take up your bed, and walk.” The paralyzed man does not suddenly say, “You know, I have been lazy and lacking sufficient motivation, but now your pep talk has rallied me.” Dead legs are no problem for the power of Jesus’ words. Dead girls are no problem (“Little girl, rise”). Dead hearts are no problem either (“follow me”). Being a disciple is more a gift than an achievement.

That is the key to reading verse 14. Levi had not achieved a super spiritual status and attained a high enough level where he could follow Jesus. Jesus tells his disciples this very thing in John 15:16 …

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.

What is the first thing that happens after Levi becomes a follower of Jesus? He does something that causes a seismic scandal with Jesus right at the center of it:

1. Surprising Action (v. 15)
2. Direct Challenge (v. 16)
3. Silencing Response (v. 17)

This outline could be the standard outline for five passages in this section. Many commentators call this a controversy section. There is controversy over forgiveness of sins (2:1–12), over ritual purity while eating (2:13–17), over fasting (2:18–22), over plucking grain on the Sabbath (2:23–28), and over healing on the Sabbath (3:1-6). The response of the scribes builds or intensifies from silent accusation (2:6) to questioning (2:16, 18, 24) to attempted entrapment (3:2) to murderous plot (3:6).

1. Surprising Action (v. 15)

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.

Levi threw a party. He had to celebrate. His entire life has been changed. He is like the picture of the lost son that has been found and saved so that there is great rejoicing and a celebration. All heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents and here is the picture of that on earth. Levi throws a party and his house is filled with other tax collectors and sinners that are following Jesus.

Listen to Luke 5:29 …

And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them.

How is Jesus behaving himself at this celebration? He really is the center of it – the cause of it all. He gave Levi and the others a reason to celebrate. Salvation! It is a surprising word that Mark uses. Jesus is not sitting at a table in Levi’s house, he is reclining at table (v. 15). He took the posture that was customary at feasts and festivals—the head facing the table and feet extending outward from it.

Though the scribes may have not understood it, this feast is a foreshadowing of the final messianic feast or banquet that will happen at the end of the age.

What was so surprising about this? Let us try to recover something of the original shock and scandal. It all comes down to how one draws the dividing lines of Jewish society in terms of who is in God’s kingdom and who is out.

Peter, Andrew, James, and John were all fishermen. They were surprising choices for disciples to be sure, but not scandalous choices. One could not get any worse than a tax collector. A tax collector was probably the most hated category of Jew. They were in one sense more unclean than a leper because a leper did not choose his disease, but a tax collector willingly chose his uncleanness. Jewish literature lumps tax collectors with thieves and murderers. They were disqualified as a witness in court, expelled from the synagogue, and caused disgrace to their family (b. Sanh. 25b). The touch of a tax collector caused a whole house to become unclean (m. Teh. 7:6; m. Hag. 3:6). Jews were forbidden to receive money and even alms from tax collectors because their tax revenues were seen as robbery. In fact, they were so hated and despised that all the rabbis were agreed that a Jew could lie to a tax collector and it was morally ok (m. Ned. 3:4). Tax collectors transacted business with Gentiles and reinforced Roman occupation and rule.

Levi would be one of many tax collectors in Capernaum. Border towns like Capernaum were perfect places for tax collectors like Levi because travelers would come from the territory of Herod Philip and the Decapolis and have to pay taxes to Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. Land and poll taxes were collected directly from the Romans, but taxes on transported goods were contracted out to local collectors (they were middlemen, contracted out by the Romans to the highest bidder).

Other tax collectors are following Jesus too. There is a large collection of outsiders and outcasts here at this celebration. They probably have never had anything to celebrate before. They have never been accepted by anyone. The text says that “for there were many who followed him” (v. 15). Do you see something more of the scope of the scandal? This would be too much for any self-respecting scribe to overlook. It was bad enough to call one tax collector to follow you, but this looks like a pandemic—many tax collectors and sinners. These tax collectors and sinners did not have a loose, casual association with Jesus. They followed him. They were defined as those who joined themselves to Jesus. Let us look at the challenge of the scribes now.

2. Direct Challenge (v. 16)

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?”

Jesus is violating the tradition of the elders. This tradition taught that mealtime was a holy time, like all the time, when one finds himself or herself in the presence of God. They tried to take the ritual purity requirements for the priests in the temple and make them apply to everyone in all of life. They were like the ritual purity police. They would try to enforce purity and punish purity crimes. Therefore, meals must be eaten in a state of ritual purity. Eating with tax collectors and sinners makes one ritually unclean.

“Sinners” is a category like the “wicked” in the Psalms. They are people who are complete outsiders as defined by the Law plus the tradition of the elders. They don’t measure up and they know it. They are social and religious outsiders. They do not occasionally transgress the traditions and teachings of the scribes, but they stand outside it as a way of life. They are lost outsiders.

For example, Jewish literature says that gamblers, moneylenders, traders on the Sabbath, thieves, the violent, shepherds, and tax collectors were clearly criminal, but others were common laborers who were too busy, poor, or ignorant to live up to the rules of the religious authorities (m. Sanh. 3:3).

The scribes reason in the following way: Unclean people would make Jesus unclean. It does not seem to bother him. He seems to be quite at home with it all. Therefore, they are questioning his discernment. Thus, it is like the scribes have taken an eye exam. Here are the results. They see Jesus, they see tax collectors and sinners, and they see one big unclean blot! Therefore, clearly Jesus has failed the vision test. Either he is blind to their uncleanness or he doesn’t care. Either way he stands unclean and condemned according to their traditions.

The lines are clearly drawn between insiders and outsiders. The scribes are inside the kingdom and the tax collectors and sinners are outside the kingdom. Jesus has joined them and so he is outside as well.

3. Silencing Response (v. 17)

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.”

It is essential to see that Jesus is using the understanding or perspective of the scribes against them. He is not saying that there are people who don’t need a Savior. He is not saying that the scribes are righteous and not sinful. How did they see themselves?

One Jewish Rabbi summarizes it this way (Rabbi Meir):

He that occupies himself in the study of the Law…is deserving of the whole world. He is called friend, beloved of God, lover of God, lover of mankind; and it clothes him with humility and reverence and fits him to become righteous, saintly, upright, and faithful; and it keeps him from sin and brings him near to virtue, and from him men enjoy counsel and sound knowledge, understanding and might (m. Avot 6:1).

The scribes see themselves as spiritually well. They are not following Jesus because they see no need to do so. He should join them as someone who is well (as an insider) and not join the outsiders. Jesus has come as a Savior and they see “no need” for him.

Jesus’ words are masterful here. He uses a proverb that silences them. They clearly see the tax collectors and sinners as sick. But what if Jesus is not joining them as someone sick, but ministering to them as someone who heals the sick (like a doctor). If you are well, then they can send you away. Can you imagine a doctor shunning the sick? That is the entrance requirement! “You are really sick. I am sorry. I don’t see sick people. I only see healthy people.”

Jesus is the spiritual doctor. The tax collectors and sinners are the spiritually sick (spiritually sick: sinful) who need the doctor (Savior). The scribes are those who are well (spiritually well: righteous) who see no need for a doctor (Savior).

Main Point: Jesus came to call sinners (people who know they need of a Savior).

Application

This story is once again showing us that there is more than meets the eye going on in Jesus’ ministry. He is turning conventional categories upside down. The scribes look like they are the insiders, while the tax collectors and sinners are the outsiders. In the mind of the scribes, Jesus sides with the wrong side. He has become an outsider because he is guilty by association. The purity police have labeled him a purity criminal.

But who has the right to define who is inside and outside of the kingdom of God? This is the central point in all of these five controversies we are seeing in this section. It all comes down to the word “authority.”

The root trait about Jesus is that he has authority. He is authorized by God to do all that he does (authority to forgive sins and thus eat with forgiven sinners). He teaches as one who has authority (1:22). He always thinks, says, and does the things of God. The scribes are those “without authority” (1:22). They “think the things of humans,” not the “things of God” (8:33).

As leaders without authority, the authorities view things from a human standpoint. They claim to teach God’s word and will, but in reality they teach “the commandments of men” (7:6–7). They perceive themselves to be “righteous” and “well” as those in “no need” of a doctor or Savior. They are the righteous who do God’s will. The irony is that even thought they esteem themselves as experts in the Scriptures, Jesus will show that they are “unable to read” the Scriptures (12:24). In fact, they cause people to break God’s law when they add their own (Corban). They even disobey God’s command in their oversight of the temple by not keeping it as a place for prayer for all the nations. Even though they study the Scriptures so thoroughly, they don’t see that the Scripture prophesies against them in several places.

A seismic shift has taken place. The Messiah has come. He has preached “repent and believe the good news” (1:15). Those who follow him as disciples have responded to that summons. Luke’s version of the story takes what Mark assumes and makes it explicit and emphatic: “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). One’s relationship to Jesus now defines whether someone is inside or outside of the kingdom.

The scribes see no need for Jesus. They are now the outsiders. They saw no need for him because they thought they were clean. They didn’t think they were sick. They didn’t think of themselves as doctors, but as personal trainers—a righteousness fitness club for the already healthy. We need to whip these flabby people into shape to get ready for the Messiah’s army. We need to get them into ritual purity—make themselves clean enough.

The work of John the Baptist was essential spade work in the garden of salvation. 

Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you” (Matthew 21:31).

What is the reason? They repented. They listened to John’s call to repent. And they repented.

For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him.—Matthew 21:32

In other words, they believed John’s preaching that they were sinful and sick. They knew they had no righteousness to rely upon. So when John the Baptist said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” they ran to the Lamb of God. John paved the way so that when the Savior came, the tax collectors and sinners were ready to follow the Savior. John’s preaching helped them see they were sick. Therefore, when the doctor came, they were ready to run to him. The scribes did not believe John’s call to repent. They were righteous and did not need to repent.

Luke 18 has the same two people appear in a parable: 

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”—Luke 18:9–14

This Pharisee brings a resume to God in prayer with two lists: (1) a list of those he is not like (extortioners, unjust, adulterers, tax collectors), and (2) a list of things he has done (fasting, tithing). The tax collector has one entrance requirement: sinner. He does not have a resume. He just has an ISO—sinner in search of mercy!

This is radical. God gives mercy to those who know they need it. The righteousness God requires of us, he gives to us in Christ. They alone are justified—viewed as right in God’s sight.

There is a reversal happening. The lines are being drawn differently now that the Savior has come. The self-righteous see themselves at the top of the heap; sinners see themselves at the bottom. They are lifted up, the self-inflated, self-righteous bubble will be popped and they are brought down to hell.

Imagine a football field. Getting into the end zone would be equivalent to getting into the kingdom of God. There is a continuum of people who are close to entering or far from entering. The scribes had their line and they saw themselves at the head of the line. Jesus sees them at the end of the line. They are like Jim Marshall for the Vikings who infamously ran the wrong way and thought he scored a touchdown, but really scored for the other team (a safety—two points for the other team).

What about you? Do you mistake religious scrupulousness for righteousness? If God were to ask you right now, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” What would you say? Would you give a works answer? Do you have a list of things you have done? Do you have a list of those you are not like? Would you appeal to something you have done? Religious performance or religious devotion or some sense of what makes you more fit or worthy than someone else? Do you have a list of those you are not like? Who have you outperformed? Do you see yourself in a race with others—you made it into the end zone and they didn’t?

Christians are those whose only hope of righteousness is found in Christ, not themselves. They trust in Christ’s righteousness, not their own. This vertical understanding of our relationship with God will have a horizontal impact on how we view ourselves and others.

This has been a problem in the church. The people who seem to be most attracted to Jesus are those who know they are sinful and need a Savior. The people who seem most repulsed by Jesus are the respectable, religious elite. We have sometimes reversed that in the history of the church. The respectable, religious (the scrupulous) find themselves most comfortable in church (commands are like comfort food – check, check, check). The down-and-out can feel the most uncomfortable in church. “Why would I go there? They would just make me feel worse.”

I don’t want to be a place that is seeker driven (where the call to follow Jesus is muted or watered down), but I also don’t want to be a place that is self-righteous and thus becomes seeker insensitive: “We are better than them. Let’s talk in a way that only top tier Christians can understand.”

How do we see ourselves? Once again, I call you to put yourselves in the category of the leper, the paralytic, the sick, the weak, the needy. The apostle Paul put himself in the category of someone who boasted or bragged about his weakness and neediness. Do you have “weakness” like Paul spoke of in 2 Corinthians 12 (I will gladly boast in my weaknesses)? The word that Paul uses for weakness is almost always used in Greek classical literature (as well as in the New Testament) for illness, or more generically as “powerlessness.” Think about it—Paul uses a word to describe himself that was a stock reference to people with physical sickness or bodily weakness (see also Mark 6:56, Matthew 10:8, Luke 4:40).

Jesus often used these types of parables to speak to us (physically sick/spiritually sick; physical leper/spiritual leper; physical paralytic/spiritual paralytic). Their obvious physical condition can be seen on the outside, but our spiritual and moral condition is more extreme but more hidden. God sovereignly gives these gifts among us. He is not embarrassed about disabilities. He claims that he is the one who does it.

Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?—Exodus 4:11

Why are people with disabilities a gift to us? They are not just people who need us to serve them—we need them to serve us. How? Their very presence ministers to us. They give us the gift of sight. They are a physical reflection of the spiritual reality we all share. Their physical weakness or disability shows us our spiritual weakness or disability. Do you see yourself? They belong in the family. They are part of us. Yes, people with disabilities need a lot of help a lot of the time. But don’t you see? You need more help, all of the time.

Do you see that even your obedience is a gift of God! His commands come with his new creation power. To run and work the law demands but gives us neither feet nor hands. Far better news the gospel brings; it bids us fly and gives us wings. It takes grace to receive grace that gives power to obey. We are not saved by good works; we are saved for good works. One of the hardest distinctions to make is the call to do all the good works you can, but trust in none of them—rely on none of them to save you.
 

Sermon Discussion Questions

Outline

1. Surprising Action (v. 15)
2. Direct Challenge (v. 16)
3. Silencing Response (v. 17)

Main Point: Jesus came to call sinners (people who know they need a Savior).

Discussion Questions

• Why did Levi become a follower of Jesus? What is the difference between a disciple and someone in the crowd (who both hear Jesus’ teaching)?
• What did Levi do after becoming a follower of Jesus? How did Jesus respond? Why were these actions so surprising and so scandalous?
• Why did the scribes reject Jesus? Why did they identify themselves as being in a certain category?

Application Questions

• How do you see yourself? Are you inside the kingdom or outside? Why?
• How does the way you see Jesus and yourself impact the way you view others? Where does our tendency to look down on others come from? Why is it so tempting to think we are better than others?
• In this message, what truths landed upon you that you need to share with others in your life? How can you share these truths? Devote it to prayer!

Prayer Focus 

Pray for a grace to celebrate what Jesus has done to save you and call you to eternal life.