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]