Mark 2:13-17
Dinner at Levi's House
Read the passage
13Once again Jesus went out beside the sea. All the people came to Him, and He taught them there.
14As He was walking along, He saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Levi got up and followed Him.
15While Jesus was dining 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 scribes who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with these people, they asked His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
17On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Jesus teaches the people beside the sea. As He walks along, He sees Levi son of Alphaeus at the tax booth and calls him to follow. Levi gets up and does so. The call reaches him at his workplace, and his response begins there.
The next scene is a meal at Levi’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners eat with Jesus and His disciples; Mark tells us that many are following Him. Levi’s call is part of a wider gathering of people whom the religious teachers question His willingness to receive.
The scribes who are Pharisees ask the disciples why Jesus eats with such people. Jesus answers with the image of a doctor. The sick need a physician, and He has come to call sinners. He explains His company by His mission: the people who need His help are precisely the people He has come for.
That answer does not call sin harmless or declare the objectors free from it. A doctor’s presence with the sick is care, not approval of sickness. Jesus welcomes people into following Him, and His call reaches someone sitting at a tax booth as surely as it reached the fishermen beside the water.
Questions
1 How does Levi respond when Jesus calls?
AnswerHe gets up from the tax booth and follows. Jesus addresses him in the middle of his work, and Levi responds to the call personally.
2 What troubles the scribes about the meal?
AnswerJesus is eating with tax collectors and sinners. They question His disciples about that company, rather than recognizing the meal as part of His mission to people who need Him.
3 What does the doctor comparison explain?
AnswerNeed is a reason for the physician to come near. Jesus’ call to sinners explains His presence among them; it does not make their sin unimportant.
4 Who might we dismiss before considering Jesus’ call to them?
AnswerWe may reduce someone to a reputation or a mistake. We can offer a fair hearing and appropriate kindness while being honest about wrongdoing and respecting necessary boundaries.
What This Means for Us
Jesus’ reply gives hope to people who cannot present themselves as respectable enough for Him. The doctor comes because healing is needed. We can confess sin and receive His call instead of trying to hide the need that brings us to Him.
It also questions our willingness to welcome. Someone learning to follow Jesus may have a history we find difficult. We can make room for conversation and fellowship without pretending every relationship is safe or every wrong already repaired. The purpose of welcome is to help people follow the Savior who calls sinners, including us.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for calling sinners and receiving people who need Your mercy. Help us answer Your call honestly. Free us from contempt, and teach us to welcome others toward life with You. Amen.