Jesus Eats with Sinners Saved by Grace
Truth Taught- Jesus calls Levi and he immediately responds and many others also follow.
Within Mark’s Gospel we see a pattern of Jesus. It seems that whenever there is a great spiritual victory such as cleansing a leper or healing the paralytic then right after these events Jesus withdraws to a remote place.
He is in Capernaum when He heals the paralytic then when Mark picks back up with the narrative, Jesus this time is beside the sea. He withdraws to a lonely region. Sometimes to the wilderness, other times it’s the sea and others, it’s a mountainous region. These are places where our Lord is seeking solitude to pray and be refocused on His mission.
There are even deeper reasons Jesus returns to these remote areas. Here He is doing battle with the realm of Satan. The wilderness of course was the place where Satan tried to tempt Jesus to stop everything and take the easy way out. All You must do Jesus is bow down and follow me and all the nations will be Yours.
We will see, Lord willing, that there were at least two times when the sea was set against Jesus.
Mark 4:39 (ESV)
39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
These outer regions were places that also needed to be brought under submission to God.
Please Stand…
Mark 2:13–17 (ESV)
13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 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.
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. 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?” 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.”
1. The Call of Levi (2:13-14)
13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 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.
Jesus walks outside the city proper to the Sea of Galilee. He does this again to remove Himself for a short time. Jesus is always doing multiple things at once. He removes Himself to pray and to stay focused on His ministry and to call to Himself a tax collector.
Levi or as we know him, Matthew was posted by Rome at the port of Capernaum. Here, he would collect import taxes and tolls for the Roman government in the land of Israel. The tax collector was synonymous with sinner. The Jews hated them because they were all unethical sinners who would try to get as much out of people as they could. Any extra was pocketed with their salary. So, the average tax collector was very rich. Levi, especially was among the most hated of tax collectors. He was Jewish and had sold out his own people for the job.
Matthew was working in the tax office collecting levees and tolls when Jesus sees him. Our Lord walks up to Matthew and says to him “Follow me.”
The Bible tells us he rose and followed him. That’s all we have. Luke tells us he left everything and followed Him. That’s it. No further dialogue. No questions about what will be involved. We are told he got up and followed.
Luke is exactly right, Matthew left everything to follow Jesus. A fisherman could always go back to fishing. A carpenter could always go back to building things. However, a tax collector who left his tax booth could never go back. First, there was a long line waiting for that job. Second, because tax collectors were so hated who would ever hire Matthew to do anything? I mean as soon as he handed them his resume and it said under last form of employment…I worked for Rome as a tax collector his interview was over.
We should take notice here of the radical transformation found in Levi as Jesus calls him. Levi forsook all to become a sinful tax collector. He forsook family, nation, friends even hope for other employment. He was sold out to his crooked profession. Nothing mattered to him except getting rich at other’s expense.
Now, watch what happens when Jesus saves him…
14 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.
Luke reminds us again that he left everything and followed Jesus. Levi had found the treasure he had been looking for all his life, and he found it in Jesus Christ, alone.
Luke 5:28 (ESV)
28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
In these two short verses, we see the authority in which Jesus calls sinners. We see that Jesus’ call is urgent. I pray we too respond to Jesus’ authoritative call immediately and completely. Have you responded to Jesus’ call?
There are times when following Jesus will cost us as well. Salvation is free but following Jesus often has a cost attached to it.
Normally, wealth is the great hindrance to following Jesus. It is that enemy that works against us.
Rich Young Ruler, the man who would not leave everything…
Matthew 19:21–23 (ESV)
21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.
This man was not willing to obey Jesus and follow Him. We see that God had to be working in Matthew’s heart for him to rise so quickly and not look back.
Zacchaeus another tax collector who left everything…
Luke 19:1–10 (ESV)
19 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Matthew’s rising up and leaving everything behind isn’t a sad thing for him. Beloved the cost of following Jesus is not, well after giving this plenty of thought and crunching the numbers and speaking to my financial advisor I guess I can follow Jesus. It’s not like that. You know how I know that? Matthew throws a party in honor of Jesus…
2. Leaving Everything to Follow Jesus is Cause for Celebration (2:15-17)
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. 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?” 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.”
I want to make sure we see the event that is played out before us. As we consider what is happening here, we must look inwardly to our own hearts.
This event is the genuine response to sins forgiven and a new heart. Levi throws a massive celebration with Jesus in the center seat of honor. Levi invites many that he knows…mostly other tax collectors to the celebration as well.
In our fallen condition, we must ask ourselves this question…Is leaving everything to follow Jesus, cause for sadness or cause for celebration?
Mark gives us the list of invited guests… many tax collectors and sinners
These were some of the most despised classes of people in Israel.
For the religious elite who were there, Jesus in there wrong opinion was going against all accepted practices of the ceremonial law. According to their flawed assessment, Jesus should have separated the sinners from the rest. He should not be eating with sinners either, this according to them would make one unclean.
What I want us to see here is Marks phrase…
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.
What Mark seems to indicate here is that there was more than Levi who received salvation that day. He reports, many followed Jesus through the calling of Levi.
This great banquet, as Luke reports, is at Levi’s house where many other tax collectors are present and where many other great sinners are also present. Criminals are there, the Roman mafia is seated at the table across from Jesus. Prostitutes are among the guests. Liars, cheats, scandalous people from all walks of life. Jesus is right in the middle of all this with His disciples.
What I want us to see here, it is not crystal clear, but from what Mark tells us all these people were now followers of Jesus. They had become followers and had forsaken their former lives of great sin. for there were many who followed him.
If this is the case, and it looks very promising Jesus is reclining at table with born again Christians. They were known sinners and this is the issue the Scribes take with Jesus and His disciples. They are not aware that this is a salvation celebration for more than just Levi.
“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 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.”
What do you think about when you read about the Pharisees in the Bible. I mean you’re reading along in the Bible and everything is going good and then a Pharisee enters the narrative? We must always remember that they are there not for us to point our finger at and laugh saying, I thank You Lord I not like one of those…No, they are there as a warning to us. They come along in the narrative because we were not born yet! They are us in all our glory. They say what we would say and do what we would do. They are us in all our religious pomp. Their misunderstanding of Jesus and His mission is ours. They are saying what we are too proud to say but think. Jesus, You should not be at that party with all those sinners. Think about Your reputation
What Jesus is telling the Scribes and the Pharisees is what He had told them time and again. Let’s be clear here, Jesus is telling the religious leaders that He did not come for them…He did not come for the self-righteous or those who thought that their good works would somehow be enough for God. He came for the sinners who knew that they had no hope. They believed themselves to already be righteous.
As we close today there is one other vitally important piece to this narrative section that Mark shows us…
Yes, it is true that Levi is having a party at his house…that’s clear. What we must see here is that the tax collectors and sinners are not reclining at table with Levi but with Jesus.
many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
One mark of the coming Messiah will be table fellowship with those former sinners who are now entered into the Kingdom of God…
Matthew 8:10–12 (ESV)
10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Table fellowship with Jesus only comes as a result of Jesus forgiving your sins. So, when Jesus and these people are reclining together for table fellowship this is a preview of the great banquet feast which is to come.
The basis of this fellowship is forgiveness of sin. This is a sovereign demonstration of the forgiveness of sins that all of God’s people will one day share with Jesus.
One day Jesus the Messiah will sit down with former sinners in the Kingdom of God.
Sinners will be there but those who think themselves to be righteous without Jesus will not.
Luke 18:9–14 (ESV)
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 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. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 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!’ 14 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.”
Who will be invited to the Great Banquet Feat of the Lamb?
Sinners who know they are sinners and have no hope within themselves and run to Jesus for salvation.
Words of Blessing
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