Mark 2:13-17 “The Lord Who Comes to the Lowly”

Suggested Praise Songs:

• O Come To The Altar – Elevation Worship
• Chris Tomlin – Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
• RECKLESS LOVE – Cory Asbury
• Jesus, Friend of Sinners – Casting Crowns

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• Jesus Calls Matthew (Saddleback Kids) – Lesson for Kids
• “This Little Light Of Mine” – Song for Kids
• I Have Decided | Cave Quest VBS Music Video | Group Publishing
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth located in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

After briefly describing Jesus’ teaching by the Sea of Galilee (Lake) (verse 13), Mark shares the story of Jesus calling Levi. The phrase “as he was walking along, he saw Levi” (verse 14) may sound like a chance encounter, but just like with the first disciples, Jesus intentionally sought him out.

Levi, also known as Matthew (Matthew 9:9), was a tax collector. The Roman Empire required local rulers like Herod to collect large sums of taxes, and Herod used tax collectors to do the job, often allowing them to take extra for themselves. Because of this, tax collectors were despised by their fellow Jews—they were seen as traitors who enriched themselves by collaborating with the enemy and burdening their own people. Despite this, Jesus invited Levi to follow him, and Levi immediately left his post to follow Jesus.

Levi then hosted a banquet for Jesus at his home, where “many tax collectors and sinners” gathered (verse 15). In this context, “sinners” doesn’t mean criminals but refers to people who were unable to follow the law due to their life circumstances. It is better to translate “sinners” as “the lower class.”

Sharing a meal together in those days was significant—it meant mutual acceptance and friendship. Due to this, the religious leaders had strict standards about who could eat with them or not. The religious leaders were shocked and questioned why Jesus would associate with such people (verse 16). Jesus responded, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (verse 17). His presence at their table wasn’t to overlook their sins but to lead them to repentance and a new life of holiness.

Meditation:

Jesus’ choice of disciples was extraordinary. At that time, there must have been many well-qualified people in Galilee, but Jesus first sought out fishermen. Since fishermen were naturally strong and resilient, this was not particularly strange. However, calling a tax collector was very unusual. Having someone like that as a disciple could provoke criticism or rejection from those with strong patriotism and religious devotion. As we will see later, among Jesus’ disciples was a zealot who had fought for the liberation of Judea. From this, we can see that worldly qualifications, religious fervor, and political ideology were unimportant to Jesus. He looked solely at a person’s heart.

This confused the religious leaders of the time, who prided themselves on keeping strict boundaries between “clean” and “unclean” people. They believed associating with “sinners” would make them unclean. Jesus was not concerned about such things because nothing in this world could make him unclean.

He declared His position to the religious leaders by saying, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (verse 17). In this statement, Jesus likens sin to an illness. A sick person is not someone to be despised and rejected but to be cared for, healed, and restored. That is why Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” His reason for drawing near to tax collectors, prostitutes, and the lower class who could not keep the law was to heal their sickness.

On the other hand, those who consider themselves righteous have nothing to do with Jesus. Paul said, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10), and Jesus shared the same view. There are no truly righteous people, only those who think they are righteous. The religious leaders who criticized Jesus’ actions were such people. Therefore, through his words, Jesus essentially delivered the message: “Do you think you are righteous? If so, I have nothing to do with you.” Their rejection of tax collectors, prostitutes, and the lower class stemmed from their self-righteousness.

Prayer:

Lord, who is infinitely high yet came to the lowly, who dwells in brilliant light yet came into deep darkness, who is perfectly holy yet came to the filthy and wretched places, we thank you for coming into our humbled hearts, our darkened souls, and our stained, wretched lives. Please transform us with your greatness, your radiance, and your holiness. Just as you did, we will also go down to lowly, dark, and unclean places to share your greatness, your radiance, and your holiness. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

• Preschool & Early Elementary (Ages 3-8)
  • Who did Jesus invite to follow him? (Why do you think Jesus chose Levi, a tax collector, instead of someone popular or well-loved?)
  • What can we do to share God’s love with others, especially people who might feel lonely?
• Upper Elementary (Ages 9-11)
  • Why do you think Jesus wasn’t afraid to spend time with people that others avoided?
  • In your life, are there people who others might look down on? How can you make them feel accepted and loved, like Jesus did?
• Middle School (Ages 12-14) – Please read ‘Explanation’ and/or ‘Meditation’ first.
  • How do you think Levi felt when Jesus called him to be a disciple, despite his job as a tax collector?
  • What does it mean to be self-righteous? Have you ever felt tempted to judge someone rather than show them grace?
• High School (Ages 15-18) – Please read ‘Explanation’ and/or ‘Meditation’ first.
  • Why is it dangerous to think of ourselves as “righteous” or better than others? How does this prevent us from seeing our need for Jesus?
  • What does it look like to “go to the lowly and dark places” in your life today, as Jesus did? How can you bring His light to others?
• Reflection Activity Ideas:
  • Preschool to Elementary: Draw a picture of Jesus sitting at a table with many different types of people. Who would you invite to sit with Jesus?
  • Middle to High School: Journal or discuss a time when you were surprised by someone’s kindness or when you had to step out of your comfort zone to show love to someone different from you.