Mark 2:13-17 "righteous sinners and sick saints"
[I apologize to anyone who checks this blog regularly, I am a couple of days behind]
Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 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.
15 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. 16 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'?"
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."
I’m sure you’ve heard the story about the pastor and his wife who read a study that confirmed that most tragic deaths happen within 5 miles of home- so they announced to the church that God had called them to move.
What makes a person move? Why do we decide to move?
Here, in our story today we see Levi move from tax collecting to following this rabbi- Jesus. Why did Levi move? Was he tired of being ridiculed by fellow Jews for working for the Romans? Had he been praying for something in his life to change- for more meaning to come into his life? It was probably a combination of factors that got Levi moving- but most importantly he was invited to move. Invited to follow- by Jesus.
It was a big deal to be a disciple of a rabbi- not everyone got to do it. If you were still a student of a Rabbi by the time you were fifteen, you had passed several tests- memorized most of the Old Testament. Because Levi has a job, and a good paying job- it had likely been a long time since he had been a student of a rabbi. Who knows maybe he cut it until he was 10 or 12. But at some point he was likely told by a rabbi as most boys were, "You love God and Torah but you can no longer be my disciple."
So along comes Jesus- years later- and Levi- a good Jewish boy has a chance to be a disciple of the radical teacher.
He moves- he leaves behind a cushy job and follows Jesus.
There are others who are moving in this story. The teachers of the law are moving just close enough to Jesus to see who he is hanging out with. They are not impressed with the dinner party at Levi’s house. Jesus is eating with tax collectors and "sinners"- the word translated sinners means literally people who have missed the mark in life. The srewups- the folks with bad reputations in town. These are the folks that were following Jesus. The religious leaders- didn’t like it. Was Jesus trying to MOVE the importance of morality? Was he trying to MOVE the people into supporting him as a leader over and against the establishment- and the empire?
The religious leaders must have got just close enough to Jesus that he could hear them. "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners, they said" 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."
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
I need to hear these words- over and over again.
Without these words as reminder it is easy for us to move from our experience of following Jesus- to a position of being relgiously guided moralists who put more effort into being against people
than they do in coming along side people and working through stuff together
When we are honest- we will all admit that we are sick- that’s why we come to church- it is a hospital for sinners- it’s why we read the scriptures- the stories- are our stories- Adam and Eve isn’t just an ancient story- it’s a living story- a story of our rebellion
I have said the worst things about other people- you know "other people" as if they are people that I am better than- as if there are people that God loves any less. Do you think that God loves somebody less because they do the wrong things or say the wrong things- or haven’t said the sinner’s prayer yet? Be careful. I have heard Christians- derail and judge- slam- insult= put down people- who they see as sinners- "our nation is in trouble because of group X"- and Jesus says- "that’s funny that’s who I came for- the folks who don’t have it all together"
So if you’re sure you have it all together- if you are so together with your moral behavior and your right relationship with God- that you have spiritual free time to kick others while they are down- Jesus has a word for you- Jesus says to you, "you don’t need me- I didn’t come for folks who have it all together. You don’t need me."
It is a dangerous place to not need Jesus
Christian faith- the primary question of the faith is not behavior- it is not about what to do that is right and what to do that is wrong. The prim of the Christian faith is identity- Who am I? Not- what must I do?
Do you believe God- when he tells you who you are? You are a loved child of God- loved despite your sicknesses and weaknesses- loved even more because of them.
Notice that once Levi knows he is loved- he does something good- he practices hospitality- he invites Jesus over and some other "sinners" and they have a party- a good thing. His identity as a loved child of God leads to good behaviors.
But the pharisees have it backwards- the tail is wagging their dog. They are doing all the right things so that they can be called the religious. They are doing behaviors in an attempt to have an identity. They are righteous and yet later Jesus calls these same folks "sons of hell"- how can you be righteous and a son of hell? If you are doing good- just to prove you are good and better than others- you don’t get it- that is the opposite of a heavenly saintly life.
A saintly life says- I need God. I am a sinner in need of God. I need God every day. And God says- "hey sinner I love you"- you are beautiful, come follow me and add beauty and goodness into my creation. And we go, secure in our identity and we do righteous things.
Only the sick can be saints. Those who consider themselves righteous are indeed in danger of hell.
You can’t come clean by being good or by saying you’re good. You are good- in that we are created in the image of God- but we are bad in our tendencies to rebel- to live in pride- to judge- to waste God’s creation.
We have a decision to make every day- especially in these days of Lent
Do we want to move following Jesus- and endanger our reputation and at times our life- by hanging out with people in the midst of their sin, trials, their failures and pain
Or do we want to move on and become experts at our religion- and give advice to people about how they too can become more like us- and in doing this we endanger our soul and any soul that we convince to be like us
This lesson today is the constant challenge of the church in general and local churches- Do we actually live it out being a place of love and hospitality- giving away all that God gives to us- Or do we become experts and powerful, religious elite.
One way leads to a life full of potential for good- a life of bringing heaven on earth- a life like Mother Theresa- St. Francis Assissi
The other way leads to a potential of self righteousness- a life of bringing hell down on others- who already have enough to worry about- this is the way of the crusades the way of the inquisition
Pascal, the great Christian thinker once wrote, "human beings never do evil so cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
So who are we? Where do we keep our identity- in being loved children of God- forgiven and being restored day by day to do good. Our do we find our identity in our self- our good behaviors. One road leads to life the other leads to death.
Fall into the arms of our Gracious and eternal healer- Jesus Christ- whisper to Jesus all your faults your guilt your hurts- and be silent- you will hear him whisper back you’re forgiven- you’re beautiful- follow me.
Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 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.
15 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. 16 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'?"
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."
I’m sure you’ve heard the story about the pastor and his wife who read a study that confirmed that most tragic deaths happen within 5 miles of home- so they announced to the church that God had called them to move.
What makes a person move? Why do we decide to move?
Here, in our story today we see Levi move from tax collecting to following this rabbi- Jesus. Why did Levi move? Was he tired of being ridiculed by fellow Jews for working for the Romans? Had he been praying for something in his life to change- for more meaning to come into his life? It was probably a combination of factors that got Levi moving- but most importantly he was invited to move. Invited to follow- by Jesus.
It was a big deal to be a disciple of a rabbi- not everyone got to do it. If you were still a student of a Rabbi by the time you were fifteen, you had passed several tests- memorized most of the Old Testament. Because Levi has a job, and a good paying job- it had likely been a long time since he had been a student of a rabbi. Who knows maybe he cut it until he was 10 or 12. But at some point he was likely told by a rabbi as most boys were, "You love God and Torah but you can no longer be my disciple."
So along comes Jesus- years later- and Levi- a good Jewish boy has a chance to be a disciple of the radical teacher.
He moves- he leaves behind a cushy job and follows Jesus.
There are others who are moving in this story. The teachers of the law are moving just close enough to Jesus to see who he is hanging out with. They are not impressed with the dinner party at Levi’s house. Jesus is eating with tax collectors and "sinners"- the word translated sinners means literally people who have missed the mark in life. The srewups- the folks with bad reputations in town. These are the folks that were following Jesus. The religious leaders- didn’t like it. Was Jesus trying to MOVE the importance of morality? Was he trying to MOVE the people into supporting him as a leader over and against the establishment- and the empire?
The religious leaders must have got just close enough to Jesus that he could hear them. "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners, they said" 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."
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
I need to hear these words- over and over again.
Without these words as reminder it is easy for us to move from our experience of following Jesus- to a position of being relgiously guided moralists who put more effort into being against people
than they do in coming along side people and working through stuff together
When we are honest- we will all admit that we are sick- that’s why we come to church- it is a hospital for sinners- it’s why we read the scriptures- the stories- are our stories- Adam and Eve isn’t just an ancient story- it’s a living story- a story of our rebellion
I have said the worst things about other people- you know "other people" as if they are people that I am better than- as if there are people that God loves any less. Do you think that God loves somebody less because they do the wrong things or say the wrong things- or haven’t said the sinner’s prayer yet? Be careful. I have heard Christians- derail and judge- slam- insult= put down people- who they see as sinners- "our nation is in trouble because of group X"- and Jesus says- "that’s funny that’s who I came for- the folks who don’t have it all together"
So if you’re sure you have it all together- if you are so together with your moral behavior and your right relationship with God- that you have spiritual free time to kick others while they are down- Jesus has a word for you- Jesus says to you, "you don’t need me- I didn’t come for folks who have it all together. You don’t need me."
It is a dangerous place to not need Jesus
Christian faith- the primary question of the faith is not behavior- it is not about what to do that is right and what to do that is wrong. The prim of the Christian faith is identity- Who am I? Not- what must I do?
Do you believe God- when he tells you who you are? You are a loved child of God- loved despite your sicknesses and weaknesses- loved even more because of them.
Notice that once Levi knows he is loved- he does something good- he practices hospitality- he invites Jesus over and some other "sinners" and they have a party- a good thing. His identity as a loved child of God leads to good behaviors.
But the pharisees have it backwards- the tail is wagging their dog. They are doing all the right things so that they can be called the religious. They are doing behaviors in an attempt to have an identity. They are righteous and yet later Jesus calls these same folks "sons of hell"- how can you be righteous and a son of hell? If you are doing good- just to prove you are good and better than others- you don’t get it- that is the opposite of a heavenly saintly life.
A saintly life says- I need God. I am a sinner in need of God. I need God every day. And God says- "hey sinner I love you"- you are beautiful, come follow me and add beauty and goodness into my creation. And we go, secure in our identity and we do righteous things.
Only the sick can be saints. Those who consider themselves righteous are indeed in danger of hell.
You can’t come clean by being good or by saying you’re good. You are good- in that we are created in the image of God- but we are bad in our tendencies to rebel- to live in pride- to judge- to waste God’s creation.
We have a decision to make every day- especially in these days of Lent
Do we want to move following Jesus- and endanger our reputation and at times our life- by hanging out with people in the midst of their sin, trials, their failures and pain
Or do we want to move on and become experts at our religion- and give advice to people about how they too can become more like us- and in doing this we endanger our soul and any soul that we convince to be like us
This lesson today is the constant challenge of the church in general and local churches- Do we actually live it out being a place of love and hospitality- giving away all that God gives to us- Or do we become experts and powerful, religious elite.
One way leads to a life full of potential for good- a life of bringing heaven on earth- a life like Mother Theresa- St. Francis Assissi
The other way leads to a potential of self righteousness- a life of bringing hell down on others- who already have enough to worry about- this is the way of the crusades the way of the inquisition
Pascal, the great Christian thinker once wrote, "human beings never do evil so cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
So who are we? Where do we keep our identity- in being loved children of God- forgiven and being restored day by day to do good. Our do we find our identity in our self- our good behaviors. One road leads to life the other leads to death.
Fall into the arms of our Gracious and eternal healer- Jesus Christ- whisper to Jesus all your faults your guilt your hurts- and be silent- you will hear him whisper back you’re forgiven- you’re beautiful- follow me.
posted by Palouse Fed. Church at 9:52 PM
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