Keep sharing good news without ads.
No description available
To the gospel of Mark and we're going to find ourselves again in chapter 2. In our last lesson we talked about how in chapter 1 of Mark Jesus is seen going quickly from one event to the other as we've talked about since we began Mark.
Mark gives us sort of a bird's-eye view very quick view of Jesus's ministry going from one thing to the next and we saw his popularity growing in chapter 1 particularly we saw the people saying about him that he taught as no one had ever taught that he didn't teach like the other teachers but he taught with authority.
And we spent quite a bit of time talking about what that meant that Christ came not on the authority of anyone else but he came with the authority of God and he spoke as God and he spoke to men from God.
And then we move into chapter 2 and we find ourselves in the situation where Jesus begins to face his first critics in the gospel of Mark. We didn't see critics in chapter 1 we heard people say you know who is this man.
He speaks with authority but we didn't see the people challenging him. But almost immediately in chapter 2 that is what we find and I gave this outline last week. I know some of you were not here so I want to just give it again this comes out of Willington's outline Bible but he said there's there's four four primary criticisms that Jesus received and the four criticisms are based on two things that he did and then two things that he didn't do.
The first criticism is that he forgives sin and the second criticism was that he was a friend of sinners. That's going to be our subject for tonight by the way that's going to be the text. We're going to be looking at verses 13 to 17 tonight and that's going to be the topic but I but just to show you the whole chapter these are the two things he did that they said he shouldn't do he shouldn't forgive sin and he shouldn't be friends with sinners.
So that well the next two things we're going to see as we get to next week as he also he did not observe the fast he did not in their tradition keep the Sabbath. I don't believe Jesus ever broke the Sabbath legally but he he broke the their traditions of the Sabbath.
So we'll say keep the Sabbath. So so the Pharisees in this chapter are looking at Christ and they are they are coming at him with four objections. Two things that he does. These are the do's he does. Two things they say he shouldn't do and then the don'ts he don't do.
Two things that they think he should. So so as a simplify it that's the whole chapter is Christ is being attacked by the scribes for doing what they think he shouldn't and not doing what they think he should.
And so tonight we're going to examine just verses 13 to 17. I thought about trying to go further. I really don't want to. Well I don't want to. I know I spent three years in Genesis. My intention is not to spend three years in Mark on Wednesday nights but but I just get so invested in these these short narratives.
It's hard to want to combine too much because I don't want us to not give right attention you know to it. So there may be times later where we take larger sections. But as we continue in our pretty much the introductory chapters we're going to go a little a little slow.
So let's read beginning of verse 13 it says he went out again beside the sea and all the crowd was coming to him and he was teaching them. And as he passed by he saw Levi the son of Alpheus sitting in a tax booth and he said to him follow me.
And he rose and followed him as he reclined at table in his house. Many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. For there were many who followed him. And the scribes and the Pharisees when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors said to his disciples why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners.
And when Jesus heard it he said to them those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous but sinners. Let's pray father I pray that you'll help us to understand your word tonight that you'll be glorified in our study in Christ's name.
Amen. When I ask a couple folks to read if I could get some readers Caleb Stewart would you have just be ready. We're not going to read right away. But if you'll just be ready have your Bible turn to Matthew chapter 9 verses 9 to 13 and then Caleb Therese we just do the double Caleb thing.
If you would go to Luke chapter 5 and hold your place at verse 27 you're going to read verses 27 to 32. Okay what we see is we see in all three of the synoptic Gospels almost the exact same story. What I'm gonna have these brothers read to you in a moment is the other versions of this same story just so we can sort of identify some of the differences and distinctions.
I always think that's important even though this isn't as I said earlier this isn't a harmony of the Gospels that I'm doing but it sort of is because every time we look at a passage I like to sort of look at what the other passages say just so we don't miss any of the finer points like last week the you remember the men who brought the paralytic and to drop him before Jesus in Mark's gospel it doesn't mention that there were tiles on the roof but Luke's gospel does mention that.
And again it's not a huge deal but it does help us to talk about it was. It wasn't a haphazard structure it was a home and they were taking Jesus house apart to get to him. And there's just there's more to the story.
If we look at all of the narratives sort of side-by-side. Well tonight we're looking at Jesus's call of Matthew and the byproduct of calling Matthew and that is the byproduct of the being called a friend of sinners.
It says he went out again beside the sea the Sea of Galilee. This would have been and all the crowd was coming to him and he was teaching them. So Jesus is now again left the the homestead and he's gone out teaching.
Now you remember that's what he was doing in chapter 1. He was moving about teaching and in fact it came to the point where he was had to divide himself from people to be able to go pray. And then at the beginning of Mark chapter 2 it says he was at home and we talked about last week who's home was it.
His home was it Mary's home was it. Was that where he was living at this time was it Peter's home. You know we talked a little bit about what the different options could be when it says he was home. But now he's gone out again and he's traveling.
He's he's passing along the side of the sea and it says. And as he passed by he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus. Of course we know that this is also Matthew Matthew. Levi saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth and he said to him follow me.
And he rose and followed him now. Oftentimes that narrative focuses on Matthew's willingness to get up and follow Jesus and that is very important because Matthew is probably a very wealthy man. Matthew is a man who may be hated by his contemporaries but he's laughing all the way to the bank.
You know he may be somebody who can't go to the temple but he can go out to eat. Right. He's got. He is a man who has decided in his life somewhere to go. The financially expedient route of becoming a tax collector now again as I said that made him hated among his his brethren.
But what it did do is it provided a financial benefit to him that was great at this particular time in history. This was one of the most corrupt forms of taxation that well aside from maybe our own but but this is one of the more corrupt forms of taxation that we've seen in history because what these men would do is they would bid for these jobs to be tax collectors and they would promise a certain amount for taxes that they that they believed a quota that they could meet.
We believe we could meet this quota and whatever they got above and beyond that was theirs to keep. So it became sort of like a extortion scam. You know I can I think I can get the people to pay this much or I can get the taxes.
I can collect this many taxes and if I do so and I can collect more well I get to keep the rest. And so this tells us a little something about Matthew's previous character that this man was a tax collector.
He was a man he has a Jewish name Levi a man who probably has a family who has turned away from him because of his choice to go into this career this career which by nature set him apart from his people.
This career which by nature divided him from his family. By the way it's interesting it tells us where is it. He's on the Sea of Galilee. Here he's got a booth which probably means that this booth that was near the sea was where he would take taxes from the sea merchants from the fishermen.
So this may have been someone someone who'd had run-ins with Peter and Andrew. Remember there's this is the fifth disciple or Apostle that's mentioned in the gospel the first four Peter Andrew James and John.
And what were their jobs. Fishermen. So Jesus chooses now to call a man to come who may be the very man who had at some point extorted these men for taxes. Just an interesting little side note. He's he's the he's there at the booth next to the Sea of Galilee and I want you to think for a moment.
I want you to think about how the Bible at different times describes tax collectors. I bring up two specific passages. One is in Matthew where Jesus says if your brother sins against you go and tell him his sin.
And if he repents then you've won your brother. But if he does not repent go and take two witnesses. Two or three witnesses that on the basis of two or three witnesses every judgment is made. And then he goes on to say but if you take him before the church this is the church discipline passage.
Matthew 18 he says if you take him before the church and he does not listen even to the church. What did Jesus say. He is to be treated like a tax collector. Why would Jesus say if a man has heard from the church been called to repentance by the church but he refuses to repent.
Let that man be treated like a tax collector and a sinner. Because in that day tax collectors were excommunicated by very virtue of their job. Their job came with an automatic excommunication. So Jesus is teaching excommunication by the way.
And that's not that I want to go down that road but there is a there is a sense in which we should understand there is a reason for excommunication but that's who Matthew is. Matthew is a man who has chosen to live this life an excommunicated life for the benefit of finances.
There's another passage that my favorite I always say it's my favorite. I love the Bible is that you know is brother Andy do you have a favorite passage. It's all our favorite right. But I can honestly say I love this passage so much it's in the Gospel of Luke.
I love it so much I don't even know where it is. I really don't. I don't remember the address. But Jesus said there were two men. It's only in the Gospel of Luke he says two men went up to the temple to pray.
One was a Pharisee and the other and the King James says publican which is the old word for tax collector. And remember what it said. It said that the Pharisee went into the temple and he prayed Oh God I thank you that I'm not like other men that I give a tithe of all my income and I do all these great things.
And I'm not like that tax collector over there and it. And what did it say about the tax collector said he stood afar off and he beat his breast and he said have mercy on me a sinner. I love it because it teaches justification by faith because it said Jesus said that man went home justified and not the other.
That's the part I love about it is it's it's one of the clearest testimonies of justification by faith in the teachings of Christ. But the other part that's relevant to tonight is he said the tax collector was a far-off.
Why was the tax collector far off. Because he couldn't come any further. He stood afar off because he knew who he was. He was excommunicated. He wasn't able to come any further. So that's who this man is that I'm just painting a picture of who is Matthew.
Who is Levi son of Alpheus. Levi son of Alpheus is a man who by nature of his job has separated himself from his people and is hated particularly by the Jewish nationalists people who held Israel as a separate and distinct people who see Rome as an invading force.
And they were and they Rome is the enemy and you are in league with the enemy because you are extorting taxes for the enemy. You become a friend to my enemy. Therefore you become my enemy. Right. And that's the way Matthew would have been recognized.
Levi would have been recognized. Jesus passes by his tax booth and says follow me now again. Many sermons have been preached on the simple words of Jesus follow me and Matthew's willingness to get up.
And I don't think we should overlook that. That is a huge portion but I wanted to. My stress tonight is to stress who Matthew was before because we're never told what Jesus looked like. I know that many have tried to conjecture his look whether it be in art or in film.
The Chosen has tried to make you know a period accurate looking Jesus. You know different films have done that used to the films he'd look like an old British you know long-haired British guy. Now now at least they're trying to make him look more Middle Eastern.
We don't know what Jesus looked like but we know that when he looked at Matthew and he said follow me Matthew was undone. I chose that specifically because I think about when Isaiah saw the Lord he was undone.
Now Isaiah was a righteous man. Isaiah was the most righteous man in all of Israel. He was the prophet to Israel. And yet when faced with the Lord he was undone. Matthew is also in this moment undone.
Jesus says follow me Matthew was it say he rose and followed him. Now. Not much not much else is said about that moment. It goes on to being in his house and all that. But that moment is the moment that changed Matthew's life.
That moment is the moment where where he went from being excommunicated from the people of God to being a follower of Messiah. And so we move into verse 15 and we're now changed locations completely because now we've gone from the the tax booth by the sea.
I've been named good name for business tax booth about see we've gone the tax booth by the sea. So now we move to the house of Matthew and it says. And as he reclined at table in his house many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.
And there were many who followed him. People tend to attract people who are like them. That is the nature of human beings. I mentioned on Sunday about going to the gym. It's funny when you see guys who are used to going to the gym.
I ain't one of them. And they know that they see me coming that this guy does not. Yeah he don't. He's not used to this. But you see the guys who come in groups. They look their shoulders the same size biceps.
Is that you notice slim weight big. You know they attract people that are like themselves. Right. People see me walking with him and like he must have just picked him up off the street like Tim must have got this guy because Tim looks like them.
I do not growing up I remember just being told and hearing people say. You know that you you you are who you hang around. Right. And that's a real thing the Bible says that doesn't it say. How does it say it.
A bad company corrupts good morals. I think it's how it says it. I'm not sure the I'm saying exactly right. But you understand you you tend to attract people like you're in. You tend to be like those.
You're around. So Matthew has Jesus in his home. Matthew ain't got nobody else to invite. Matthew has who with him. Tax collectors and sinners is what it says. And and and what's funny this phrase tax collectors and sinners.
That's the same phrase Jesus uses when he says in Matthew. He says let him be to you like what. A tax collector or a sinner. This is the excommunicated group. That's the point I'm making. Jesus not only met one guy who followed him who was an excommunicated guy.
Jesus ended up in a house full of them and they were reclining with Jesus. Get that guys by the way when they says they were reclining it does not mean they were sitting in a group of lazy boys. Right.
The reclining here was the way that that the Near Eastern tradition of laying on your left side and eating with your right hand. You would prop up on your left elbow and you would eat with your right hand.
Everything was low. That was the reclining position. People would lay in circles and they would eat. So they're in this position. They're. They're in a comfortable position with the Lord of glory. They're all sinners.
They're all the dregs. And Jesus is comfortable with them. That's that's the reclining part. He's there and he's laying with them. Now I want to say this I want to be very clear. There are two ditches.
I'll use one of brother Andy's Andy isms. We often talk about the two ditches. And there are two ditches that often come out of this text. Those who would say well to win the world you got to be like the world.
And therefore if I want to win centers I got to go and be a sinner right. Be sin with them. And then there are the other ones who would say well I'm not Jesus. So I need to avoid all sinners. Jesus could be around centers but I can't.
And therefore you end up with two different dangerous areas. You have those who believe that the best thing to do to win people is associate to the point where you're doing what they do. And the other side is the best way to stay holy is to stay separate.
And I do believe that there are people we're gonna see a couple here with the scribes in a moment that believe that separation equals salvation that for me to remain saved I got to stay away from sinners and I can't have a relationship with them at all.
And that was really the attitude of the scribes is separation equals salvation. Leave me alone. But Jesus is there with sinners not sinning. That's the key that most people miss. Jesus is with sinners but not sinning with sinners.
He's eating. He's fellowshipping. He's talking most likely doesn't say most likely preaching to them but he's loving them and he's fellowshipping with him with them. And verse 16 says the scribes and Pharisees or excuse me it doesn't say that in the mark it says the scribes of the Pharisees which is an interesting phrase because typically we see either the scribes or the Pharisees or we see the scribes and the Pharisees.
The mark says the scribes of the Pharisees which indicates the relationship that the scribes were the member. Why I told you they were. The scribes are the teachers of the law. They were also the ones who wrote so they so the Pharisees and them had a relationship.
And this mark puts it in the relationship of of the Pharisees. They the scribes who were there in a sense on behalf of the Pharisees says in the scribes of the Pharisees when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors said to his disciples why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners.
And when Jesus heard it he said to them those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous but sinners I said in my prayer earlier before we started that's that's a beautiful statement that Jesus came for sinners that his purpose of coming.
Jesus didn't come for the righteous. And we're talking about why not in a minute. Because I want to get to that as a separate issue. But before we even talk about why he didn't come for the righteous let's just talk about the fact that he did come for sinners.
Christ loves sinners and you better be glad because that's the category you are in. That's the category we have all been born into. I said we were going to get to the other thing. There are some people who read this and what they think Jesus means is they think Jesus means that the scribes did not need him because he says I didn't come for the righteous but for sinners.
That is not what he means because those men were sinners too. Romans chapter 3 quotes the Psalms. So the reason why I'm pointing this out is Romans was written after this. But Romans is quoting Psalms which was written a thousand years before this.
And Romans chapter 3 quotes the Psalms saying there is none righteous. No not one. There is none who understands and there is none who seeks after God. So when Jesus says I've not come to call the righteous he's not saying to the Pharisees in the Sadducees or the scribes of the Pharisees.
Rather he's not saying to them I didn't come for you guys. You're good. And if you want to know the proof text of that just go over to Matthew where Jesus spends an entire chapter going woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites.
You place burdens on men's back that you're not willing to carry. And your whitewashed tombs woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites says it over and over and over again. Were these men not sinners.
No they were the chiefs of sinners. They were far worse than the tax collectors. They were far worse than the people who considered themselves sinners because they were men who would not recognize their own sin.
One thing at least we can agree that every person in that room knew they were a sinner. Every one of those tax collectors knew what he had given up to go after money. He knew that he had abandoned home.
He had abandoned family. He'd abandoned responsibility for his own financial benefit. He knew he was a sinner. And the other ones were sinners by title. Like tax collectors and sinners. They knew it. I can imagine there were prostitutes there.
Jesus for some reason had several women who were prostitutes who came to him. One specifically came while he was dining at the house of a Pharisee. You remember. And she began to wash his feet with her hair and white.
Or wash them with her tears and wipe them with her hair. Remember what the Pharisee said to her. If this man were prophet he would have known what kind of a woman. This is what Jesus say to him. He said.
There was a man who had two men who were indebted to him. One owed him 50 coins. One owed him much more. And if he forgave both who would. Who would be more grateful. He says well the one who was forgiven more.
Of course. And he says well this woman here she is. She's she's coming to your house. She's washed my hair with her feet. She's she's washing with her tears dried him with her hair. You've not given me water for my feet.
She's anointed me with her tears. You've not given me olive oil to anoint my head. Who loves me more. Who loves Christ more. According to Jesus it's the one who recognizes the depth of their sin. And the one who recognizes that he is the only one who can save them.
Pharisees and the scribes didn't want a Savior because they didn't think they needed it. They wanted a warrior because they couldn't overthrow Rome. But they didn't want a Savior for their sin. As to them their sin wasn't the problem.
It was everybody else's brothers. I've asked y 'all to hold those passages. I know it's been quite a while now. So I do want to ask that you would read them just so that we can hear them. And then we'll make a few comments on them and we'll begin to draw to a close.
So brother Caleb you had Matthew. You're both Caleb. This Caleb brother Steward if you would read from the Gospel Matthew please do we notice anything distinct in that one is very similar. Right. It's amazingly close.
Which again many there been much conjecture about how much if at all there was any discussions back and forth. Or if one had saw what the other had written or anything because they are so close. I mean they're almost the same verses say almost the exact same thing.
But what were some of the distinctions. Anyone notice anything. Yeah he quotes a passage to them. Right. Quotes an Old Testament passage. I desire mercy not sacrifice. Which is an interesting thing to bring into this because Mark doesn't mention it at all that Jesus actually points them to Scripture.
Right. So Luke is I'm sorry Matthew is recounting this scriptural thing which again would have appealed to Matthew's audience because Matthew's speaking to a Jewish audience they would have understood that Scripture better than the audience of Mark who's writing to a primarily Gentile audience.
So we do see very good. Something else that I noticed just now actually because I mentioned the scribes of the Pharisees and Matthew's just says the Pharisees. So it's a little more generic in regard to who the audience or who the who the antagonizers are.
Is Matthew mentioning it's the Pharisees. Anybody else have anything they want to add to that. Any thoughts all. Right. Well let's go to Luke's gospel. Luke's gospel adds something very important. So please listen closely as Caleb Terezi reads for us verses 27 down to 32.
Awesome. Thank you. Now did anybody notice anything different. I know that was King James. Who you might have noticed that the the tax booth was called a some what a receipt of customs. So that that's not what I'm asking is there is because that was a difference that I picked up on but anybody else notice anything.
It's sort of a big difference between Matthew and Mark and this one left all and followed him. Let's see. Because I don't that wasn't the one I was thinking of but you may be correct. Well you're right.
And in Mark it just says he rose and followed him and Matthew it says going back. I'm sorry he rose and followed him. But in you're right. And Luke it says leaving everything. Good. Yeah that's that's right.
He left it all. That's it kind of reminds me of Zacchaeus you know. And is that Zacchaeus a wee little man. We little man was he. Let's make sure. Right. Is that when he was said when he was brought Jesus came in his house.
I'm gonna eat at your house today goes into his house and he get he starts giving the money back. Right. He leaves everything for Christ. So yeah I see. Good good point. Not the one I was thinking of.
Yes. Okay. Does it not say that in the other ones. And you you may be right. Yeah. I guess it doesn't. It doesn't say about the Great Feast. Okay so we're getting a little bit more remember Luke's a historian.
It's again a little bit more the historical fact. They're not the one I was looking for but still good. I would have to look at that for sure. But it no way it does. It says the Pharisees and their scribes.
So again harkening back to Mark where it says the scribes of the Pharisees they're scribes. So yeah. That's that's that's a good good catch. What you got Steve. That's it. That's it. Steve's my man. The mark or Luke is the only gospel that adds the phrase with repentance at the end because the other one's I didn't come to call the righteous but sinners.
That's why Matthew says it. Luke's mark says I didn't come to call the righteous but sinners. But Luke adds I didn't come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. And again that's a small addition a small distinction.
Let me guess there's a textual difference there. Do you. Okay all right. Well I will have to look that up to see if there's a textual variant there. Or if it's just a different way that it's. Is it is it does it have a marker at the bottom to mention it.
That's interesting. That's interesting. Well either way my I wanted to end tonight by saying this when Christ calls. Or so when Christ went in to sup with sinners. When Christ went in to be the friend of sinners the friendship that he made was not a worldly friendship based on their mutual love of fishing or carpentry or any other thing.
Christ's reason for befriending sinners was to call sinners to repentance. Christ's reason for this relationship was that he would give them the the key to eternal life. And the key to eternal life is to repent and trust in him.
So when he sees the Pharisees and he says I've not come to call the righteous but sinners. We must understand first and foremost that that includes everyone. Everyone is a sinner. The most self-righteous person in the world is probably in the most dangerous place in the world.
Because if he doesn't recognize a sin he will never repent and seek a Savior. So Jesus is saying to the Pharisees you're in the most dangerous place. You can be not that you're safe. He wasn't saying I didn't come to call you because you're good.
He's saying I came to them because they recognize who they are. And so I ask us all tonight. Do we recognize who we are. Do we recognize that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Or do we place ourselves like the Pharisees who stand in the temple and say look at all the people in the world and yet not I we are all in need of a Savior.
And we are all great sinners. And unless we recognize that we're never going to receive the Savior any questions. All right. Let's pray. Father I thank you for your word for your truth for this opportunity to preach yet again.
And I do pray Lord that we would understand our great need for a great Savior and that we would understand that Christ is indeed a greater Savior than we are sinners. And it's in his name. We pray. I'm in.