A Scandalous Savior Eats Supper with Sinners....

By studying Mark 2:13-17, we see a contrast in attitudes between the religious elite and the Son of God. We see that Israel's “spiritual” doctors, the Pharisees, do not just avoid spiritually sick sinners, they also condemn anyone who gets near them (Mark 2:15-16). In contrast, we will see that Jesus does just the opposite. Instead of maintaining a safe distance from sinners, He both calls them (in this case Matthew) to follow Him (Mark 2:14) and has dinner and reclines with them (Mark 2:15). So, why did Jesus do these things? The answer is found when He declares His mission in one sentence: “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). Let us look together at this passage and see the amazing and scandalous grace that Jesus offers and how we should respond. 

In Mark 2:13, Jesus is teaching near the Sea of Galilee which was the trade route and economic hub for this region. Moreover, while this geographic area was predominantly Jewish, it was under the rule of Rome. In verse 14, Jesus calls a tax collector, Levi (also known as Matthew), to follow Him. Now in those days, tax collectors were Jewish locals who bid for lucrative contracts from Roman authorities to collect taxes for the Roman government. With these contracts, each tax collector agreed to pay the Roman government a fixed sum up front and were allowed to pocket any surplus received. Of course, this practice led to accusations of corruption. Additionally, because tax collectors interacted with gentiles, they were considered ceremonially unclean and forbidden from synagogue worship. And, if a Jewish person ate with them, he also was  considered unclean and not allowed to worship. Yet, despite these deeply rooted cultural norms, Jesus extended His grace to Matthew, a great sinner.

As we learn from this story, grace is free to receive, but it costs everything to follow. Another Bible passage for this same story states it this way: ''and Levi got up, left everything and followed him" (Luke 5:28). In this moment, Matthew gave up his sinful practices and traded his wealth, influence and power to follow Jesus. This was a steep cost but well worth it as he received the full Christ for eternity in exchange for the temporary pleasures of this world. In our context today, free grace sounds like easy grace because we primarily equate it to covering suburban, middle class sins. In reality, grace is scandalous because our sin against God, no matter how small or great, is heinous. And, because of our heinous sin, the saving grace that only Christ offers ought to make us uncomfortable. Saving grace, when accepted, invades, ransacks and transforms lives today just as it did for Matthew.  Moreover, just as Jesus met Matthew right where he was at, Jesus does the same for us today. Perhaps you are looking around this room and wondering if anyone has skeletons in their closet like you do. Rest assured that we do. By God’s saving and scandalous grace, we have former drunks and drug addicts who have now achieved sobriety. We have some who were once “religious” to whom God revealed their pride. Like a drug, they smoked their own morality until they were high on their own self-righteousness. There are also Christians in this room once addicted to pornography and some who live with the pain of abortion. The question is this: what will you do with your guilt? If you have not yet chosen to follow Jesus, will you follow Matthew’s example and do so today?

Finally, for those of us who already follow Christ, this passage places your heart under spiritual scrutiny. Under the proverbial wisdom to not be influenced by the world, we shun people. We have taught our children that being a good Christian means to stay away from sinners. Saints, that is the opposite of what our Lord models for us. If you have errored in the past by getting drunk, high or arrested with some non-Christian friends (before or after getting saved yourself), it is wise to not go out with them for a period of time. However, we must not shun them permanently. Perhaps, God is leading you, at a later date, to invite one or two of those same friends for a nice meal specifically to share your story of salvation and how Jesus transformed your life. Maybe God is calling you to befriend neighbors who are living an immoral lifestyle for the specific purpose of sharing the gospel with them. Is it possible that God is leading you to share Christ with an extended family member when you see them next? Brothers and sisters, in these verses, Jesus models for us how we should reach out and associate with non-believers. Will you pray this week and ask God to put someone in your path that you can befriend for the gospel’s sake? ...

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