Daily Bread 2010 - Mark 2
Mark 2
The Calling of Levi
13Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
15While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
17On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
As Jesus begins to live a life of bringing in God’s kingdom, the religious leaders do not like it. They are so tied to their laws that they can’t see God’s kingdom in their midst. The very Law that was meant to drive them to recognize Jesus as the Messiah was blinding them because they knew the letter of the Law, but not the Spirit of the Law.
As Jesus had already called the fishermen, now he calls Levi the Tax Collector (later he will be re-named Matthew), who throws a dinner party and invites his friends, the “sinners”. Tax collectors were despised by the Jews because they usually collected taxes more than Caesar required and pocketed the extra cash. Jesus uses this as a teachable moment that he came not to save those who thought they were already perfect, but those who knew they needed help.
Throughout chapter 2, we see Jesus redefining what it means to be a godly person. Without disregarding the things the Jewish Law taught regarding prayer and fasting, he redefined them. He showed that the purpose of these disciplines was to bring one closer to God. That is why when the Pharisees questioned why his disciples were not fasting he said, “Why would they fast when the bridegroom was with them!” Ie. Fasting is meant to draw us closer to God and the disciples were as close as they would ever get in Jesus’ presence.
We see in Mark 2, that part of Jesus’ kingdom being at hand was to turn the current religious system on its head! If Jesus were to come today what practices would he challenge? Who are the sinners/tax collectors in your life? Would you be comfortable having them over for dinner? Are the spiritual disciplines you engage in, bringing you closer to a living, dynamic relationship with Jesus?
Prayer: Jesus we thank you that you came to call not the righteous, but sinners. As we live our lives help us to not get caught up in the legalism of religious observance. Draw us closer to a living, breathing, dynamic relationship with you, the bridegroom. May your Church, the bride of Christ, continue to grow until the ultimate wedding feast will be held in heaven. May we invite as many as will come to the feast, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Calling of Levi
13Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
15While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
17On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
As Jesus begins to live a life of bringing in God’s kingdom, the religious leaders do not like it. They are so tied to their laws that they can’t see God’s kingdom in their midst. The very Law that was meant to drive them to recognize Jesus as the Messiah was blinding them because they knew the letter of the Law, but not the Spirit of the Law.
As Jesus had already called the fishermen, now he calls Levi the Tax Collector (later he will be re-named Matthew), who throws a dinner party and invites his friends, the “sinners”. Tax collectors were despised by the Jews because they usually collected taxes more than Caesar required and pocketed the extra cash. Jesus uses this as a teachable moment that he came not to save those who thought they were already perfect, but those who knew they needed help.
Throughout chapter 2, we see Jesus redefining what it means to be a godly person. Without disregarding the things the Jewish Law taught regarding prayer and fasting, he redefined them. He showed that the purpose of these disciplines was to bring one closer to God. That is why when the Pharisees questioned why his disciples were not fasting he said, “Why would they fast when the bridegroom was with them!” Ie. Fasting is meant to draw us closer to God and the disciples were as close as they would ever get in Jesus’ presence.
We see in Mark 2, that part of Jesus’ kingdom being at hand was to turn the current religious system on its head! If Jesus were to come today what practices would he challenge? Who are the sinners/tax collectors in your life? Would you be comfortable having them over for dinner? Are the spiritual disciplines you engage in, bringing you closer to a living, dynamic relationship with Jesus?
Prayer: Jesus we thank you that you came to call not the righteous, but sinners. As we live our lives help us to not get caught up in the legalism of religious observance. Draw us closer to a living, breathing, dynamic relationship with you, the bridegroom. May your Church, the bride of Christ, continue to grow until the ultimate wedding feast will be held in heaven. May we invite as many as will come to the feast, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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