Transcribed from the Words of Life Radio Program
Thank you for joining us as we look into the Word of God. The title for the lesson is simply “Grace.” And our study text is taken from the New Testament Mark chapter 2 verses 13 through 17 which we will get to in the body of our lesson.
It’s human nature to justify oneself by having good behavior and good deeds. That usually works human to human but doesn’t justify anybody, anyone to an absolutely just and holy, holy, holy God. That’s because God’s standard is perfection morally which is impossible for all human beings in a fallen, sinful world.
Some of the reportedly last words of the Buddha (he was a 6th to 5th century BC spiritual teacher in northern India, the nation of India and founder of the religion of Buddhism) The Buddha stated that as he was dying: “And now, O priests, I take my leave of you…workout your salvation with diligence.”
Thereby, the Buddha (which means “the Awakened One” or “the Enlightened One) taught his disciples that they must in its source, as its source, rely on their salvation personally, that in their own power, to focus on one’s own redemption only by inner self-discipline to live full lives to be saved, to be honored of God. This is a clear example of ancient human nature that is still widespread and accepted today.
This is humanism disguising as spirituality that redeems absolutely no one according to the one true God, according to the scriptures of the Bible. Only God saves, the God of the Bible saves and redeems; no one can redeem himself by any stretch of the imagination.
Salvation by God has always been by God’s grace. Unmerited favor of God usward. It can be no other way because human beings can never, ever reconcile themselves toward God by human effort. All are morally deficient and continue to sin. Therefore, God’s condemnation is what all deserve. God’s mercy is not getting what we do deserve. However, God’s grace (His favor usward) is even greater because it is getting what we do not deserve.
Our study passage (Mark chapter 2 verses 13 through 17) does not include explicitly the word “grace”, but it’s implied wonderfully. Let’s begin: Mark chapter 2 verses 13 through 14 “Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. As 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.”
“The lake” refers to the Sea of Galilee which actually was a fresh-water lake and is a fresh-water lake today. Much of our Lord’s teaching took place outdoors because it became impossible to contain the massive crowds inside a house or building. Jesus’ teaching focus was on what is revealed in: Mark chapter 1 verses 14 through 15 “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (or The New American Standard translates “the gospel.”)
The “kingdom of God” here refers to the realm (or sphere) of salvation, that is to enter the spiritual kingdom (or spiritual reign) of God (or of heaven), depending on what gospel you are in, the spiritual reign of God in the hearts of those who truly repent and believe. The Savior was in their midst, therefore “near” and He deeply desired to teach, to proclaim, that God is only way of salvation needed to be taught accurately. As Jesus was walking back to the town of Capernaum, probably with the crowd following Him and heard Jesus announce to Levi “Follow me” this must have shocked the surrounding crowd. Why? Because no reputable rabbi (meaning teacher) would speak invitingly, perhaps speak at all to a tax collector, who was a collaborator with the detested Romans and a stooge of Herod Antipas the local leader, collecting taxes for him. Levi, a Jewish tax collector, was considered a despised traitor. Self-respecting Jews, and especially religious leaders would have never wanted a tax collector as an associate, as a friend nor a follower. To ask Levi, also known as Matthew, to “follow me” meant here to become a follower as a disciple of a Rabbi, Jesus was a Rabbi. Jesus of Nazareth was a teacher. As the teacher, this was scandalous! But Jesus shattered all the Jewish society stereotypes.
“Levi” (is his Hebrew name) yet better known by his anglicized Greek name “Matthew.” As a tax collector in Capernaum, the largest town on the Sea of Galilee which was situated on a busy trade route; Levi was part of a lucrative tax collection operation. In Jewish society, at this time, tax collectors in cooperation with the Romans were considered the “dregs of society,” the very worst of sinners. Tax collectors were required to collect a quota for Rome, or in this case Herod Antipas the local leader, and anything collected above was the tax collectors to keep This arrangement made tax collecting highly profitable, but at the same time lowly ethical.
Tax collectors continually considered more ways to squeeze extra money out of their fellow Jews and were aided by enforcers as thugs and low lives to collect taxes of all types. “Poll” taxes (meaning head counts or census taxes) which was a direct, mandatory tax levied by the Roman Empire, which symbolized subjugation to the emperor, the Roman emperor, and the forced rent of land that Jews believed belonged to God (to Yahweh). Beyond the poll tax, were the income tax (about 1 %), also land tax (1/10th of all grain and 1/5th of all wine and fruit); also, taxes on the transport of goods and produce, also taxes on the use of roads, and crossings of bridges, and other taxed miscellaneous activities. All these assorted duties and tariffs were especially prone to corruption, actually extortion (meaning forcing someone to give up something of value against their will using threats and enforcers.)
Those unable to pay the taxes were loaned money at exorbitant interest rates for more profiteering. Levi and his fellow tax collectors thus extorted money from their fellow Jews in order to support the corrupt infrastructure of Roman oppression and at the same time became wealthy themselves. Therefore, they were all traitors, and extortionists. Furthermore, tax collectors, in Jesus’ day, were considered in Jewish society as “unclean,” as “sinners” barred from attending the Temple or synagogues and even prohibited from testifying in Jewish courts. Therefore, tax collectors were classified as: liars, turncoats, and robbers, the most debased sinners for whom repentance was deemed especially difficult if not impossible. Tax collectors were even lumped together with murderers and considered a disgrace to their families.
Levi, based on the description in the gospels, did not own the tax booth, for he sat in it, stationed in an intersection of trade routes collecting tolls, tariffs, imports and customs probably in his case, for Herod Antipas, a puppet ruler of the Romans. Yet Jesus was not deterred by the social stigma of Levi’s occupation. Jesus stated: “Follow me”. Obviously, Jesus in His divinity knew Levi’s heart, knew Levi’s future which was far more important than his hands collecting taxes. He knew Levi’s heart. Of course, Levi had to put his repentant faith in Rabbi Jesus to become His disciple, which he did.
Undoubtedly, Levi knew who Jesus was having also established Himself in Capernaum. Yet what Matthew knew of Jesus paled in comparison with what Jesus knew of Matthew. Consider the words that the apostle John later wrote about Jesus in: John chapter 2 and verse 25 “He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what is in a man.” And Jesus knew Levi, He knew Matthew, which is of course, the same person.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, today, intimately knows every single person’s heart as to whether it is of genuine faith and repentance or not of genuine faith and repentance. In Matthew’s case, Jesus saw an outcast who was deeply distressed by the weight of his guilt and was ready to repent and believe on Jesus. Matthew’s rapid response to Jesus’ invitation is proof that he was ready and willing to follow Jesus, as His disciple.
Proof of Matthew’s genuine discipleship is found in the parallel passage of the same incident in Luke chapter 5 and verse 28 “and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.” This man of the world, who had sold his soul for money turned from his sin, followed Jesus because he believed the gospel Rabbi Jesus was teaching, his time had come. He chose the “kingdom of God” over and against the world. Down through the centuries an uncountable number of sinners have done the same and follow Jesus Christ. Matthew would have been banned from the temple and synagogues, but he was accepted by Jesus into the kingdom of God.
Let’s continue in our text. Mark chapter 2 verses 15 through 16 “While 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. When 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?”
Obviously, Levi’s house must have been quite large to entertain such a large number of guests. This is indicative of the lucrative lifestyle Levi had been able to enjoy during his former life as a tax collector. The guests included many of Levi’s associates as tax collectors, also included: other “sinners.” This according to the Jewish mindset would have included: thieves, thugs, enforcers of tax collection, and possible prostitutes. From the viewpoint of the Pharisees these ‘sinners’ were the “dregs of the society.” (Today that would include for example: illegal drug dealers, cyber criminals, gangsters and pimps, child molesters, etc. Yet from Jesus’ viewpoint these types would comprise His mission field! These were the kind of people that Jesus had in fact come “to seek and save what was lost” as stated in Luke chapter 19 and verse 10.
In First century, Israel sharing a meal together was a social statement of acceptance and friendship. Yet Jesus in Jewish society to eat with such people was beyond outrageous, especially in the minds of the religious leaders. It was by the grace of the Son of God (they didn’t deserve it), but by the grace of the Son of God that Jesus Christ personally would have invited them to turn from their kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light unto salvation through Him, in Him. As the Holy Spirit, today, continues in His conviction of sinners every single second worldwide. At the banquet in Levi’s house Jesus would have had time to teach the gospel to those considered unsalvageable by the then religious establishment. The were in great need of God’s reconciliation, of God’s grace, and Jesus gave all the opportunity to receive Him, grace personified through repentant faith on their part. And the same is still true today.
You can be sure that the Pharisees were not inside Levi’s house, but they saw who went in the house or could have possibly seen them through an open courtyard area where they were all seated. Probably, after the banquet was over and some of Jesus’ disciples exited the house, the Pharisees asked them how their Rabbi could eat with “sinners.” You can also be sure that their question was not out of curiosity but rather out of contempt for Jesus and His disciples. Pharisees, in fact, prided themselves on maintaining strict separation at all times from such ‘sinners.’
Devoid of grace, these self-righteous religious leaders clung to a spiritually dead system of legalism and believed that they could reconcile themselves with God by their own efforts. This is no different from many today who think they can by their many good deeds and good behavior can earn salvation and deserve salvation.
Finally, Mark chapter 2 verse 17 “On 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.” Meaning Jesus saves only those who acknowledge they’re sin sickness and no human effort of any kind can ever earn righteousness that God accepts as reconciliation with Him. Because God saves only sinners who humbly turn from their sin and put their repentant faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. God by His grace saves thru faith and this not of yourselves it is the gift of God. (Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8) It’s all about grace, God’s grace that we don’t deserve until reconciliation with Him for salvation and eternal life.
David Johnson is minister of the Sellersburg Church of Christ in Sellersburg, IN.