Jesus Calls Levi

v14b he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.”

Jesus took a huge risk in summoning a tax collector to join his group. The religious elite considered them sinners. The common folk considered them traitors to their nation. Yet Jesus was unafraid of offending leaders and lay people alike. He did not care about social conventions, or gaining people’s favor. He wanted social outcasts to be his disciples (France 2009, 130). How much does the approval of people motivate what you do or don’t do?

v14c And he got up and followed him.

Levi worked for Herod Antipas, who claimed to be the true King of the Jews. This means that Levi changed allegiances to follow Jesus, the true King of the Jews! (Wright 2004, 20-21). It also means that Levi sacrifices more than the fishermen because he cannot just go back and resume his old job. It’s all or nothing (Garland 1996, 104). He abandons a secure and prosperous job to follow Jesus (Keener 1993, Mk 2:14). In your context, what does it cost you to follow Christ? What do you have to give up in order to be his disciple?

v15 And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples—for there were many who followed him.

The humble (poor, sick, weak, sinner, vulnerable) receive Jesus better than the prideful/healthy. Why do you think the lowly welcome Jesus more joyfully than the proud?

In your opinion, what comes first, grace or repentance? Jesus’ example shows that while it’s important to preach repentance to sinners...it’s more important to befriend them first. It is the grace of inclusion/acceptance/embrace that draws these sinners to Jesus, and it is what kickstarts their repentance, conversion, and salvation. Unfortunately, many Christians have it backward: “Repent! Get your act together, get clean, get sober, ask for forgiveness. Once you change, you can be accepted into the religious order, and be a part of the holy community.”

But Jesus does something radically different. People don’t have to repent first to be in fellowship with Him. They only need to follow. For this reason, the religious leaders (and many Christians today) are offended. What sorts of people do you find Christians excluding that Jesus would have embraced? What sinners would Jesus be befriending today?

v16 When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Table fellowship is a sign of intimate relationship. One’s reputation is bound up with the company one keeps. The Pharisees did not deign to dine with people like tax collectors or sinners. They assumed Jesus would share their religious convictions (Keener 1993, Mk 2:16).

In what ways is the gospel offensive? Some Christians actively try to offend nonbelievers by calling out and condemning sin. But Jesus’ ministry was marked by inclusivity, embrace, forgiveness, grace, etc. Those who are self-righteous, and those who refuse to share their power and privilege get offended at Jesus’ openness because they like to decide who is acceptable and who is not. The key is that Jesus is not being offensive for being mean. His offense is that he was too loving, kind, and generous. Which way does your ministry lead: toward grace or condemnation?

v17 When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”

Where might you find Jesus today? Jesus is not found where you might typically think. He is not with the religious leaders; he’s with the sinners. He is not with the healthy but with the sick. Not with the free but the imprisoned. You won’t find him sitting on a throne but hanging on the cross (Garland 1996, 120). Would this verse change how you serve others and the kind of friendships you maintain?

Pronouncement about the Sabbath

v24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?”

The observance of the sabbath (along with circumcision) was one of the principal distinguishing marks of the Jews as the people of God. Jews promoted and defended it with more than mere pietistic zeal; it was a matter of national pride (France 2009, 142).

All Jews agreed that the sabbath should be observed. But problems arose over what this meant in practice. The OT offered positive principles such as 1) that the day was to be holy, and 2) to be a time of rest, as well as negative principles such as no work should be done on it. But what was ‘work’? There was no comprehensive definition of ‘work.’ So, to leave nothing to chance, the Pharisees came up with additional prohibitions to protect the faithful from ever breaking the law. There were 39 prohibited acts (which include ‘reaping,’ hence the objection in Mk 2:24). The problem with Jesus is not that there was no room for debate but that Jesus did not debate. His understanding of what was and was not permissible did not coincide with current interpretation, and yet he moved with such sovereign assurance that it made the Pharisees offended (France 2009, 143). How do we know if we operate according to Jesus’ or our own self-made religious standards?

v25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food?

Jesus made these Pharisees seem insignificant. For all their religious performance, their holy prejudices, and cherished customs, they still missed the mark. Many Christians today will also be upset that their apparent zeal counts for nothing in the eyes of God (Garland 1996, 117). What matters most in God’s eyes?

A legalist prioritizes God over others to such an extent that they could be merciless to others (Garland 1996, 115). But Jesus reminds us that increased sensitivity to God should likewise increase our sensitivity and compassion towards others. How sensitive and compassionate are you toward those in need?

v26 He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.”

The focus is not so much on what David did, as on the fact that it was David who did it, and that Scripture records his act, illegal as it was, with apparent approval. Therefore, the logic of Jesus’ argument implies a covert claim that he had as much authority as David (France 2009, 145).

Jesus puts himself on a par with King David in the period when David, already anointed by Samuel but not yet enthroned, was on the run, gathering support, waiting for his time to come. Jesus is the true king, marked out by God but not yet recognized and enthroned. As the future king, Jesus has the right to override the usual regulations about the sabbath. This was a sign that the King is here, that the kingdom is breaking in (Wright 2004, 27-28).

v27 Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath;

The Sabbath was meant to benefit life, as a rest and release from work and toil. Accordingly, human need outweighs laws that are meant to protect human life. The Pharisees would have preferred that the disciples starve, but Jesus argues that feeding hungry people does not violate God’s will (Garland 1996, 106). How do you personally honor the Sabbath?