New Testament Studies

The Gospel of St. Mark

By Robert C. Crowder

Lesson Twelve 

Mark 2:13-17  And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.  And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Jesus keeps doing what he was called to do, teach.

And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

In lesson eleven, we had the privilege to see the faith of four people repaid with the healing of the man with palsy.  We also saw that Jesus had His first discussion with the scribes as they questioned how Jesus could “forgive the sins of the man.” 

In this study we will find Jesus continuing on His “mission.”  William Burkitt describes Jesus’ actions in Mark chapter two with such compassion that I will just let him tell you in his own words.

“Observe here, the unwearied pains and diligence which our Saviour used in the execution of his ministerial office and calling; no sooner had he done preaching in Capernaum, and healing the sick of the palsy; but he goeth out thence to the sea-side to preach there.

O blessed Saviour! How perpetually wert thou employed in the labours of thy calling, in the service of thy Father, and for the good of mankind! Thou wentest about doing good, setting a pattern for all thy ministers to follow. How doth the example of thy laborious diligence at once instruct and shame us!”[1]

Jesus leaves Capernaum and walks to the sea side.  This sea’s shore runs up against Capernaum and Jesus used this back drop several times as an area in which to teach people.  It is a very peaceful area and away from the city.  The name of the sea is the Sea of Tiberias or Galilee.[2]

Unto the four, Jesus adds a fifth disciple

“And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me.”

Jesus’ eyes fell on Levi as he sat at his place of business.  This same Levi is also Matthew the writer of the Gospel of Matthew and he is the evangelist.  The Jews had the habit of calling people by many names.  For example, Silas, who was called Sylvanus; John, who was called Mark; etc.  To add to this name changing issue, it was very common to change the name; as is shown by the cases of Simon, who became Peter; Joseph, who became Barnabas; Saul, who became Paul, etc.

“..at the receipt of custom”

The receipt of custom is the business of collecting the tax for the conquering nation of Rome.  Levi was picked and assigned the job of collecting taxes in this area.  The business may have been done in a booth or small hut, collecting duties on goods and people ferried across the lake; or he may have been along the roadside on the great highway leading from Damascus to Acco, to collect taxes on all produce brought into Capernaum.  At other times we will find the tax collectors at the front gates of large cities.  The location is to make sure all duty is received.  The taxes were applied to tolls, tithes, harbor duties, taxes for use of public pasture lands, and duties for the use of mines and salt works.

The publicans received a flat rate, so that anything they collected over this amount went into their own coffers and they often took advantage of this.  The Jews hated the tax collectors.  The word hate may seem extreme, but as we continue through our story you will see that they were considered the very lowest of people.  For the Jews saw these Jewish men as not carrying out the duty of a conquered nation, but in many cases, so despised these Jewish tax collectors were “lining their own pockets” by their greed and there was no recourse open to them.  They were often classified as murderers and robbers.

“Follow me.”

Just as Jesus had called disciples on two occasions before, Jesus simply asks Levi to follow Him.  The calling of Levi is somewhat different than in the previous two times as he alone was called.  Before, the two sets of brothers, Simon and Andrew and James and John were called.  Another difference is that Mark tells us who Levi’s father was, Alphaeus.  When Jesus called James and John we found that their father’s name was Zebedee.  We do not know Simon or Andrew’s fathers name in Mark.

And like Simon, Andrew, James and John, Levi “arose and followed him.”  There is something about the call of Christ that transcends mortal logic.  In Levi’s case he was appointed to the position by the local government and was required to give a record of the taxes collected on a regular basis.  When Jesus called him he followed.  Luke tells us something about just how much it cost Levi to follow Christ.  Luke relates the same story as Mark but with a small but important difference and that being three words “he left all.”  “And he left all, rose up, and followed him.” [3] (Emphasis mine)

“And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

After Jesus called Levi, he “made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.”[4]

Earlier in this lesson I described how much the Jews loathed the tax collectors.  Well the name by which they were known is the publican.  Upon searching the New Testament you will find the word publican used twenty-one times.  It is always used as a measuring of people.  In the same sentence you will find “publicans and sinners” and “heathen man and publicans” and “the publicans and the harlots.”  As you can see the publican was not held in high esteem and position.

We read of a parable of Jesus concerning the publican in Luke 18:9-14  “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”  Jesus was making an important point here.  It is not the job, position in society, outward religious actions or the amount of money in your checking account or how much is given to the poor and needy that matters to God.  No it is a humble and contrite heart that seeks after God that is rewarded.

So Levi has a dinner and invites his associates as always.  Here we find that the guest list includes other publicans and others that are seen by the Pharisees as sinners.  But also see that the dinner guests include “Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.”

 Let us always keep in mind that the disciples were more than the “twelve.”  Yes we do have so much information on the twelve than we do on the others, but this was a very fast moving group of people that are following Jesus.  And like us today, there are a number of reasons why people respond to the Calling of Jesus Christ.

“And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

By now you are starting to see that there were many different “religious” groups in Jesus’ time in the Jewish ranks.  We have been introduced to the scribes, so called because it was their whole job to be the scribe, secretary or town clerk.   Scribes belonged to each of the sects, Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes.  So when we see the term “scribes and Pharisees” it means the scribes who belonged to the Pharisee sect.   Their job was accurate records whether in public or religious records.  There are other sects, the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Essenes.  We will deal with the Sadducees and Essenes in later studies.

The Pharisees were strictly a religious group.  They rose up as a reaction to the Jews seemingly acceptance to follow the Hellenizing spirit and Grecian customs.   “They were a sect of laymen who followed rigorously the precepts of the written and oral law, being meticulous in their attempts to maintain ceremonial purity.  They viewed with disdain those who were not as strict as the were in observing the commandments.”[5]  They tried to master the text and teaching of the law in every detail.

In this passage the scribes and Pharisees want to know how Jesus could be eating with publicans and sinners.  Sinners to the Pharisees include all those that are not Pharisees and adhere to their strict following of the Law.   Jesus takes them off guard with comparing His being with these people as a physician that seeks after those that are sick.  Jesus simply explains to them that the person who is whole and healthy doesn’t need a doctor.

My, isn’t Jesus’ teaching so simple and yet so deep.  The whole have no need of the physician, only the sick.  “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”[6]

 

 

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