Mark 2:13-17 (NKJV) Matthew the Tax Collector
(Matt. 9:9–13; Luke 5:27–32)
13 Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. 14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
15 Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
V13 “Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.” Jesus is still in Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee and has a large crowd of followers. What did Jesus do? Provide for them? Sometimes He does. The main purpose is to teach them true Judaism instead of Pharisaic Judaism. Compare Matthew 7:28, Matthew 16:12, Mark 7:7, and Acts 1:1. The Judaism practiced in Jesus’s time on Earth had been horribly twisted. They worshipped God the best they could by their own standards without any heart involvement. Compare Matthew 15:9, where Jesus told them that all this worship was futile. God seeks a worshipper who with voice and faith worships Him. Worship needs to be holy worship, for words are not enough (Psalm 29:2).
V14 “As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.” Levi was not in the crowd to hear Jesus, though most likely he might have sometime earlier. Tax collectors were, are, and always will be unliked. Often tax collectors were corrupt. Jesus said only two words. Would Levi obey and follow, or would he remain a tax collector? Jesus knew Levi’s heart, knowing Levi would follow Him. Levi walked away from Earthly comforts to receive heavenly comforts.
V15 “Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.” He not only believed but desired that others would also believe. This crowd was those who society scorned and shunned. Compare Genesis 18:3-6.
V16 “And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” The Scribes and Pharisees thought they would be ceremonially unclean being with such people. The Lord Jesus showed that their view was wrong. Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” The heart is more important than any type of outward ritualistic holiness.
V17 “When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Jesus plainly tells the Scribes and Pharisees the truth. They didn’t like Jesus because He would not yield to their version of true Judaism. What Jesus wanted from these Scribes and Pharisees is what He taught in the parable—Luke 18:13-14. Jesus came to heal our sinfulness and deliver us from God’s wrath (Isaiah 53:5).
We learn:
- Jesus seeks the lost.
- Jesus taught us that it is OK to reach out to sinners with the Gospel.
- Jesus taught us the truth.
Questions:
- How do we treat others?
- How do we learn truth?