Mark pictures Jesus as a man of action, who zealously pursued the true way of God.  

He shows us that Jesus had deep and penetrating understanding of human nature, the working of the human mind, and the thoughts of the heart of every individual with whom he came into contact.  

Jesus early ministry is not recorded in the same detail as the latter part, especially by Mark and by and large his early ministry is summed up in such verses as:

And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee. Mark 1:28.

And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. Mark 1:39.

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. Matt. 9:35. 

This was the ‘Year of Acclamation’ but as all the gospel writers record, a dramatic change was on the horizon. Popularity soon gave way to hostility and confrontation from the religious elites and disappointment and unbelief among many who had so enthusiastically embraced Him at first. 

The constant controversy that Jesus experienced with the establishment groups in Israel, showed the misguided nature of much of their belief in God and the true meaning of his word. This led them to reject the deity of Jesus and his position as Messiah, even though overwhelming evidence was right in front of their eyes.  

They were not prepared to listen to the truth about the gracious nature of the God that they served and to look at the evidence about His person that was presented to them. 

Mark in chapter 2:5-12 tells us how Jesus publicly set a man free from his debilitating spiritual burden by forgiving his sins, and then healing him of his paralysis. Some of the scribes who were observing Jesus and examining this popular new teacher, were not in any mood to thank God for his gracious healing of this man's physical and spiritual suffering, but in their hearts condemned Jesus for his actions, accusing him in their thoughts of being a blasphemer, forgiving sins when only God could do such a thing. 

One writer comments: [In classic Greek to blaspheme means to speak evil or, or to slander a person, and it is used in this sense in the New Testament (Tit. iii. 2; II. Pet. ii. 2; Jude 8). Its ordinary New Testament use, however, is quite different, since it is employed to designate something which reflects evil on the character and nature of God. This use is peculiar to monotheistic writers, and was unknown to the Greeks. Such blasphemies may be divided into three general heads, thus: 1. To attribute the unworthy to God. 2. To deny the worthy to God. 3. To arrogate or claim any attribute, power, authority, etc., which belongs exclusively to God. It was under this third head that Jesus seemed to lay himself open to accusation--an accusation entirely just if he had not been the Son of God. The Pharisees were not faulty in their logic, but were mistaken in their premises; hence Jesus does not deny their doctrine; he merely corrects their mistaken application of it to himself. 

Note that they reasoned correctly that only God could forgive sins.  We cannot fault them from coming to examine what Jesus was teaching, given the impact he was having among the people, his reputation recorded in Mark 1:32- 34 and given the fact that he was demonstrating tremendous and unheard of healing powers.  

One commentator writes in part regarding verses 5-12:

As to the test of power or authority, the miracle of Jesus was very convincing; for in the popular opinion sin was a cause of which disease was the effect. We are told, on the authority of later rabbis, that it was a maxim among the Jews that no diseased person could be healed till his sins were blotted out. We also recognize a correlation between sins and diseases, which the Saviour's use of this miracle justifies. A mere miracle, such as swallowing fire or causing iron to float, would not prove his ability to forgive sins. The proof consisted in the relation which disease bears to sin, and the consequent relation which healing bears to forgiveness. 

Another commentator’s words on the miracles of Jesus are noteworthy:

The miracle was wrought upon the Saviour's word of command. Typical of all Jesus' miracles, this one, like all the others, was complete, immediate, accomplished by a word, without incantations or agonizings, and without any long prayers, waving of hands, jerking of the head, or any thunderous blast from the pipe organ. It was totally and dramatically accomplished with utmost ease, in the presence of enemies, without prior staging, and with no props at all. Hail, blessed Jesus! 

Here it is evident that they were refusing to see who Jesus was. They were drawing conclusion disregarding the fact that someone with impeccable prophetic credentials had pointed out Jesus as the Messiah, the Lamb of God, who had come to take away the sins of the world. John the Baptist proclamations could not be challenged.

The scribes should have tried to learn from Jesus and like Nicodemus expose themselves to the teachings from God. 

They should have realized that the work Jesus was doing was the precise work that the ‘Suffering Servant of Jehovah’ would do, namely: remove burdens, give life, show mercy and love to those oppressed and imprisoned, heal the sick and afflicted, give sight to the blind, and many more acts of grace. 

It should have bothered them that Jesus read their thoughts and knew what they were questioning within themselves and that should have led them to accept that He was God visiting men. 

When Jesus pointed out that he could easily do the more difficult, external, thing that they could all see, and hence corroborate the fact that he had the power to do thing that they could not see, namely to forgive sins, they were all amazed when he healed the paralytic with a word (vs.9-12).  

This is the backdrop to today's lesson, that continues to show us the true nature of Jesus.  This clearly was the Servant of Jehovah, who had come to reveal the true nature of God, to sweep away man made traditions that contradicted or voided the word of God and to place men on the true path to freedom. 

Today’s lesson is focused on the second of three incidents that Mark recorded in this chapter. In all three, individually and taken together, Jesus made what to His hearers were astounding claims regarding His person and mission.  These incidents as much as any marked a watershed, a turning point in the way many saw Him, especially the religious authorities.

In Capernaum his local base at the time, Jesus had stirred controversy as he healed a ‘paralytic’ and publicly told the man: Son, thy sins be forgiven thee (Mark 2:5). Jesus had affirmed that He, The Son of Man had power on earth to forgive sins. Our lesson follows on the heels of this event and marked a widening gap between Jesus and the religious authorities.

There were several things expected of any Teacher or rabbi, especially one who made such amazing claims as Jesus did. Such a person would have to have followers, and an inner circle of devotees. Therefore, as was customary, Jesus ‘called’ his disciples as would be expected of a Rabbi of such stature as he was.

Of course the kinds of men he chose as disciples and confidants, their behaviour, lifestyle, bearing, stature, their eloquence and erudition, would be closely examined, for in the eyes of the leaders of the society this would tell them whether or not Jesus was flippant about things, and whether or not he was taking God seriously.

We must not underestimate the strengths and power of prejudices that people have about other persons and ideas. People very often live and act because of preconceived notions based on mistaken or distorted ideas inherited from family, friends, traditions, and the many follies rife in society. These preconceived and often erroneous ideas are often in total contradiction to the Scriptures. Jewish society had fallen into this trap.

So-called Christian societies and the Christian Church has generally erred in this regard.

It is clear that the leadership in Israel had developed mistaken and prejudicial ideas about the truth of God and his Messiah.  Inevitably this led to mistaken and distorted ideas about their own people and others.

Jesus had to fight strenuously against these false set of views and inevitably arose the ire of those uninterested in the truth.

Let us not forget that we are to be the same as Jesus and we must learn to fight hard to maintain the truth of God, and not be afraid of the inevitable controversies that will arise.

One writer makes this critically important comment in part:

“Our Lord reveals that people are more important than prejudice. Oh, that we would learn that!  Prejudices are preconceived notions formed before we have sufficient knowledge, usually mistaken or distorted ideas we have grown up with. When prejudices are in opposition to the needs of men, they are to be swept away without any hesitation.

People are more important than prejudices, and Christians must learn that.  The Christian Church has been criticized and denounced and forsaken, and justifiably so, because of the prejudices it still manifests in terms of class, social station, race, wealth, and even sex distinctions. We Christians must learn to ignore all differences of class, social station, race, wealth, and sex, and meet all alike according to the readiness of heart.

Mark will continue to portray the sharp contrast in behaviour and attitude between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees in our study.

For those yearning for all kinds of deliverance, Jesus appeared to be the answer. Still there were few who actually understood the purpose for which Jesus had come or were even interested in the salvation that He offered, even though the prophets had (Isaiah 50, 51, 52, 53,61) written extensively about Messiah’s person and work.

Jesus boldly declared himself to be equal to all that Messiah would do in both word and deed and this message was not lost on the Scribes and Pharisees. Despite their opposition and threats, He would not shy away from His mission: to call sinners to repentance and grant the forgiveness of sins, thereby affirming His Deity. 

In calling Levi, a near pariah among his country men, Jesus crossed social, political and religious barriers and gave clear signs that His Kingdom was open to all who would follow Him. This was irrespective of social status, occupation, class or any other distinction. His behaviour was as spoken by the prophets concerning Messiah: A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth, Isa.42:3. Jesus clearly identified Himself with the poor, the outcast and the down-trodden. Conversely, it appears from His statement that self-righteousness (vs.17) might be a hindrance into the kingdom.

God knows those he calls to be part of his kingdom and prior skills and abilities are often assets to the roles believers are called to fulfill in the kingdom. As it turned out, this loathed tax-collector became Matthew, the author of the first gospel. In his presentation of Jesus as King, Matthew’s attention to detail, his grasp of the ‘big picture’ and ability to connect Old Testament text to his theme, shows skills honed in his work as a tax-collector.

Verse 14.   Levi (Matthew) was sitting at his toll-booth, likely next to some thoroughfare or maybe it was at a landing point for boats going back and forth across the Sea of Galilee. Either way he was at work; a disdained and hated occupation, collecting taxes for the occupying power.

We are informed about tax-collectors:

Tax collectors were despised and ostracized by the Jews.  They collected taxes for the Roman government.  Tax collectors were expected to take a commission on the taxes they collected, but most of them overcharged and kept the profits.  Many of them were Jews and were considered traitors to their people.  They considered the money from tax collectors to be so tainted that it could not be accepted at the Temple, even as a gift for the poor.

Each tax collector was assigned a certain area.   The "tax collector's booth" was probably the toll booth on the road that ran from Damascus through Capernaum to the Mediterranean coast.

Follow me…Capernaum or part of it was Levi’s tax-area. He probably lived nearby and certainly would have heard of Jesus and His teachings, if not having heard Him directly, since Jesus had made Capernaum his home base. Levi’s obedience was not carried out in ignorance, as he might well have been a believer in Jesus before this day. This is a case of the ‘seed’ falling on good ‘soil’, (Matt. 13), and so at Jesus invitation, Levi immediately arose and joined Jesus as a disciple.

In Luke’s account of this event, we are told that Levi left all (5:28) to follow Jesus. Clearly Levi was convinced of Jesus ability to meet his needs both here and in the hereafter.

Tax-collectors were generally well to do, aided in no small part by their practice of seriously overtaxing the people and keeping the extras for themselves. They were ranked with sinners and their reputation was well earned, due to their; oppressing, exacting, taking bribes, extortion and deceit. These men were generally all trained extortioners, taxing the people beyond what the law demanded, handing in the percentage the empire wanted, and keeping the rest, becoming rich in the process.

Jesus’ call of Matthew was a move that was bound to alienate the religious types, who in their pompous self-righteousness would have nothing to do with ‘publicans’ and ‘sinners’. They will attempt to take Jesus to task for His religious impropriety in the next verse.

Verse 15.   This was a dinner in Levi’s house in honour and respect of Jesus and an occasion for Levi to have his friends and acquaintances meet his Saviour. Except for Jesus and his disciples, this was gathering of ill repute, as this crowd would have been all that decent society rejected and they would have had real difficulty ascending the social ladder. These publicans and sinners would have had no friends outside their own group.

Matthew was evidently giving a farewell dinner for his tax collecting friends. He was leaving to follow his Messiah, and he was introducing them to his new Lord. This was a time of joy and festivity on both counts, for Matthew had found what he was looking for, and so he would happily fund this feast, and expose his friend to their Saviour.

But note this declaration and re-emphasis that Jesus knew the heart of men. He saw Levi’s heart, his discontent with his kind of life, something of the hunger in his heart. He knew that Levi was ready to leave all and follow him, and he Jesus, as one writer puts it:

“cared nothing at all that it would damage his own reputation to allow such a man to be a disciple”.

They followed Him….these people not surprising were outcast and not accustomed to being cared about and having the scriptures taught to them. Jesus was radically different from the rabbis of their day, both in his manner of teaching (authority) and His attitude towards ’sinners’, he cared about them. They, unlike the scribes and Pharisees recognized their need for a saviour.

The reasonable question to the disciples was: how is it that he eateth… Since no strict Jew could eat with a Gentile (Acts 11:3; Gal.2:12) and Levi’s and his guests were classed with the heathen, what was Jesus doing associating on this level with these types.

One writer dramatically describes the scene:

“What a collection of rascals must have been there that day! All the tax collectors of the city, all the sinners, all the despised social outcasts were sitting there. As the scribes and the Pharisees passed by, they saw that right in the midst of it all, among the beer bottles and the poker chips, sat Jesus.

It was obvious that he was the friend of these men. He was not lecturing them. He was sitting among them, and eating and drinking with them. The scribes were simply appalled at this, and called the disciples aside:” Why does he do things like that? Doesn’t he know who these people are? Why does he allow himself to be seen in the company of such men?” 

Before we criticize these scribes, and they fully deserve criticism, let us note that we behave exactly the same way.  It’s doubtful if many Christians ever really associate a lot, on an intimate basis with known died in the wool, flagrant, ‘in your face’ sinners.  Any such would certainly would be a scandal in the church.

Verse 17.   Jesus heard their complaints to the disciples, directly and from the disciples and did not feel the need to vindicate himself from their charge of consorting with sinners. He seemed to actually agree with them.  But certainly consorting with them was not sin but something necessary and good for him to do.

(Later Jesus would ask; which of you convicteth me of sin?).

Jesus' words were an admission that these were troubled, sick men, with a deeply damaging lifestyle and whose successful exterior covered up many evils and falsehoods.

But where else must the Doctor go to work than where sick men are!  He must go where the hurting are, for he came to heal men.

I came not to call the righteous….His response was a succinct exposition of his mission.

Matthew records these words: But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance

One writer explains Jesus response in part:

He presents three arguments: 1. His office being analogous to that of a physician, required him to visit the sin-sick. 2. God himself commended such an act of mercy, and preferred it to sacrifice; 3. As he came to call sinners to repentance, he must therefore go to the sinners.

These arguments do not justify us in keeping company with bad people for any other purpose than to do them good--that is, as their soul's physician.

When he used the word "righteous," Jesus did not mean to admit that any were so righteous as to need no Saviour; he merely quoted the Pharisees at the value which they set upon themselves.

The irony of Jesus statement was lost on the Pharisees, for while their sins of pride, self-righteousness and hypocrisy was no less abominable to God than that of publicans, they saw themselves as whole, (healthy, righteous) having no need for a physician.

Note how Jesus focused the attention of the scribes right back on themselves.  He was inviting them to examine themselves, for if they did they would find that they were more needy and more deeply disturbed than these sinners.

There is very little or nothing one can say to them. It does not even make sense to keep up a long conversation with them. The most one can do is smile at them, exchange pleasantries, and be nice. Then walk away at the appropriate moment with a small unnoticed tear of regret. Maybe a small prayer that God will bring some trouble in their life that will put them on the path to change.

Sometimes one might even pray for the bottom to drop out of the life of a friend or acquaintance, so that they will learn that they cannot rely on themselves. Only then will they listen when they are told about relying on God.

Sinners must have an awareness of their sins, their condemnation and  merited judgement. This conviction must occur to trigger the repentance to which the Lord calls and the redemption offered in His blood.

God helps people who are open to help. He did help even that evil king Manassseh when he was in a dark dungeon, and he called to God for help.

Self-Sufficiency is not what it is cracked up to be.

Jesus attitude is in sharp contrast to that of the Scribes and Pharisees. Their slavish commitment to their traditions at the exclusion of any concern for people is the exact opposite to the Lord’s; who seeks to meet the needs of those with whom He came in contact.

Jesus called a despised collector to the highest office of Apostle. There are many vacancies in the kingdom, may we leave all to follow the Master as Levi did and bring glory to His worthy name.

Lastly, how do we deal with the many situations with which we are confronted; when we have the choice between saying nothing or saying and doing something to uphold the word of God, that might provoke controversy and hostility?

Notice Jesus was not being different simply for the sake of being different, nor did He behave strangely to draw attention to himself. He did not deal harshly with these scribes, and he did not threaten these disobedient people.

Still he never compromised, he was never afraid of the Jewish leaders and intellectuals, but always stuck to the truth. Frankly, he simply acted the way that God deals with men.  May we learn to do likewise.