Mark 2:13-22
Key Verse: 2:17

“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.’”
In the previous passage Jesus showed his authority to forgive sins by healing a paralytic who was brought to him by his four friends. Today Jesus demonstrates his authority to forgive by calling one of the most despised sinners, Levi. Jesus declares that he is a spiritual doctor who came into this world to heal all kinds of sin sick people. Then he reveals that he is a bridegroom who will make all his wedding guests happy. He compares the Pharisees to old wineskins and his disciples to new wineskins. Let’s recognize our sin sickness and come to our spiritual doctor Jesus for healing and follow him to have a great life. May God bless us to become new wineskin Christians everyday so that we can enjoy Jesus’ new teaching and become excellent Bible teachers in America.

PART I.  THE CALLING OF LEVI (13-17)

Look at verse 13. “Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began teach them.”  Jesus went out again to his favorite place, the Galilee Lake. It was a bright sunny spring day and  Lake Galilee was so peaceful that people could hear the sounds of crashing waves and splashing waters. Several boats were gliding over the placid waters.  In this sunny day a large crowd came to him because they heard that Jesus had healed a paralytic.  They saw the image of a good shepherd in Jesus. They wanted to solve their chronic life problems through Jesus. What did Jesus do for them? He began to teach them the word of God. Jesus did not teach them skills to improve their human conditions. Jesus taught them how to restore their relationship with God. Man’s trouble, that is, what is really bothering him, is due to his alienation from God. Why is man alienated from God? It is sin that causes alienation from God. Jesus came to solve our sin problem and bring us back to God. This is good news to all sinners. That’s the reason why he taught them the word of God first. What did he do next after his teaching session? Look at verse 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.”
Here we will learn what kind of person Jesus called and what was his command. Jesus called Levi. What was Levi’s business? He was a tax collector. He was a man of ability unlike the paralytic. He looked like a modern day banker with a lot of money. However, he was betraying his own country and working for the Roman government. He did not care about the suffering of his own people. Most of the tax collectors cheated people in tax and enriched themselves. (Lk. 3:13) Levi overcharged people in tax saying, “One for me and one for Rome.” In that sense he was selfish. He was an active sinner while the paralytic a passive sinner. When he had a selfish life, he had no friends. He was isolated and lonely. People avoided him and did not want to have any association with him. He was different from the paralytic. He was able and very smart. Probably he passed the Roman CPA exam with one try unlike S. Paul Sambuco of Baltimore. The problem was that he used his ability to hurt other people and he did not live for the glory of God. People hated him when he rode his latest model of a BMW chariot. They called him a public sinner. He could not attend PTA meetings for his son because people yelled at him. He was isolated from the rest of the world. He was cut off from his own people. The paralytic had a lot of friends but he did not have any friends. Though he had money, he had hit rock bottom in his life. He was miserable and he was depressed due to his selfishness. In his deep soul he was longing for God’s love. Inwardly his soul was thirsty and hungry for God’s righteousness. He was dying spiritually because he was cut off from God. He was unable to go to Jesus because he was busy with his job. His sinful life prevented him coming to Jesus. He felt dirty and unworthy to come to Jesus. He was active in sinning but passive in coming to Jesus. We might say he was more paralyzed than the paralytic. Most smart and able people are paralyzed because they are afraid of any failure. They worry about everything and they become mental paralytics due to their interminable anxieties. They become impatient and nervous all the time. There is a high probability for active sinners less likely to seek Jesus actively. Why? They are active in sinning and there is no time to seek Jesus. They are paralyzed due to their sinful life. In this case Jesus came to Levi. When Levi could not come to Jesus due to his dark life of sin, Jesus came to him. We call this God’s initiative. Romans 5:8b says, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus reached out his hand of mercy for one lost sinner. Jesus knew that sinners could not come to him with their own initiatives. Therefore, he came to them. Though Levi was the most unlikely person called by Jesus. Surprisingly, Jesus called him as one of his disciples. Here we learn that Jesus calls any kind of person such as active sinners like Levi the tax collector. Jesus calls the despised and lowly as his disciples. Jesus saw a possibility for Levi to become a great man of God if he changed his life direction. To people’s eyes, Levi was too dirty to look at. When we look at selfish people, we are disturbed. Selfish people make others very sick; above all, they cannot please God. Jesus saw the greatness of God in Levi, because he was created in the image of God. To people’s eyes, Levi looked like a man of failure who should not have existed. But to Jesus he was a great disciple who could become a source of blessing. Jesus accepted him as he was and had a great vision for him. The calling of Levi was only by the grace of God. Levi received Jesus’ calling by the mercy of God. Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.” Though he was a terrible sinner, Jesus visited him and called him to become an apostle for the Gentiles by his grace. John Newton, the author of the hymn “Amazing Grace” was the least likely person who could write this hymn because once he was a cruel slave trader. But Jesus saved him from his sinking ship by his grace and he realized he was saved only by the amazing grace of Jesus. Then Jesus called him to become a servant of God. In the same way Jesus called each of us to become his servants by his grace only. In the past we were heading to the eternal destruction due to our selfish sins. But Jesus called us to become Bible teachers by his grace. Once I was a selfish man seeking fame, power, success, woman’s love, and human glory. Inwardly, I was a secret sinner. But Jesus came to me while I was sinning and called me saying, “Follow me.” It was by the grace of Jesus.
What was Jesus’ invitation? Look at verse14b. “’Follow me’, Jesus told him” That’s all Jesus commanded him to do. When Jesus said, “Follow me,” he meant, “Come and learn of me and be my disciple.” Levi was a man of ability, but it was misused. When Jesus called him by saying, “Follow me,” Jesus wanted to help him until he became a new man and the best man in the world. Jesus gave him a new life direction. In the past Levi followed money. He thought money would make him happy. Money was his king. But he was not happy. Money trapped him. He tried to get out of his miserable life of sin. But no one invited him. No one talked to him. But Jesus took notice of him and did not pass by. Jesus did not ignore him but treated him as a person. People treated him like an animal man but Jesus treated him as his son. He was overjoyed when Jesus called him. From now on he would follow Jesus. This was the big turning point in his life. It was a beginning of a great life. Our life will be shaped depending on whom we follow daily. If we follow a drug dealer, we will become a drug dealer. If we follow the Mafia, we will become Mafia men. If we follow a drunkard, we will become drunkards. If we follow Jesus, who will become? We will have a great life like Levi who became Saint Matthew who recorded Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14a).  We know how Jesus treated us in spite of our dirty sins and wild life. Jesus reached out and touched our hearts. Jesus broke out heart with his personal calling. Jesus command “follow me” is the voice of God for all sinners to have a meaningfully great life in Jesus. May God help us to have spiritual insight to follow Jesus.

How did Levi respond? “Levi got up and followed him.” Levi did not ask any salary range or any future life security. He just got up and followed Jesus. It was incredible how he gave up his secure job so quickly. He entrusted his life to Jesus. Levi was tired of his selfish life as a traitor. He did not like what he was doing. He did not ask any questions. He did not make any excuses. He was ready to follow Jesus. He made a decision of faith to follow Jesus. He was going no where. He was not happy with what he was doing. He was waiting for a new life direction. He wanted to change his life direction. That’s reason why he was ready to follow Jesus.

How did Levi celebrate his new life? Look at 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.” Jesus’ calling changed Levi’s life completely. Jesus’ calling freed him from his sin sickness and from his mental paralysis. For the first time he felt like a real human being. For the first he felt like shouting for joy. For the first time he felt like preparing a dinner for others. In the past his mansion house with two swimming pools was like a ghost house because he did not invite anybody. But that was no more. In the past he was very stingy in giving others. The first sign of his changed life was to spend his money for others. He only knew how to take other’s money but now he began to use his money to serve others. He brought all his tax collector friends to his house. When we were changed, we would like to invite our old friends to Jesus. His house was filled with many sounds of eating and talking and laughing. When he ate alone, he did not have any appetite. When he ate together, his appetite increased drastically. Levi shows us what is true repentance. True repentance is to give up our old selfish life and follow Jesus’ life direction. When we do so, we can be truly happy and find the  true meaning of life. But there were some unhappy people. Who were they?
Look at verse 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’?” They did not understand why Jesus was eating with sinners. They hate tax collectors and they avoided them except at tax time. They thought they were different from sinners. They felt superior and did not think that they were sinners. Though their stomachs were growling and they wanted to eat with them joyfully, but their legalistic minds and superficial judgments separated them from the joyful eating fellowship. They were poor people without spiritual sense.
What did Jesus say to them? Look at 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.’” This reveals that Jesus came to call sinners, not the righteous. Each of us is some kind of sinner—like the paralytic or like the tax collector. Jesus is a spiritual doctor and he came to heal those who acknowledge their sin sickness. To be healed from sin sickness we have to know that we are sick spiritually. When we are sick, we go to our doctor to receive treatment and healing. In the same way we have to go to Jesus when we have sin sickness. When Peter met Jesus, he confessed in Luke 5:8b, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” His healing began when he realized that he was a sinful man. We have to know that we are sick and then we seek Jesus’ help as our spiritual doctor who can heal from our sickness of sin. Without Jesus we cannot but live as sinners like paralytics.  Without Jesus we cannot but live as sinners like the tax collector. Men are helpless without Jesus. Without Jesus we are all sin sick. Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Praise Jesus!

PART II.  OLD WINESKINS AND NEW WINESKINS (18-22)

In this part we see the increasing opposition from the religious leaders. The teachers of the law did not understand why Jesus was mingling with sinners. They were critical and legalistic. Some people came and asked Jesus a legalistic question: “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?” (18) John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees were fasting twice a week. Originally, the practice of fasting began with a good motive. It was an act of righteousness. Many great servants of God fasted regularly in order to be nearer to God through repentance. They wanted to be right with God. But in Jesus’ time, fasting was no more than a show to be pious. It became a human tradition and intentional show. What did Jesus answer? Look at verse 19. “Jesus answered,

`How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them.'" Jesus answered that the time of law has passed and that the time of grace has come. From now on people will be justified by God's grace not by keeping the law. We will be saved not by works but by  grace alone. Jesus signaled that the age of animal sacrifice ended and the new age of justification by faith dawned for all mankind who need God’s salvation. Not only so, but also, the Messiah has come to the world to save men from their sins. Where Jesus is, there is the kingdom of God. Jesus is joy to all men. So the Pharisees were asking a totally useless question. Jesus compared his disciples to the guests of the bridegroom at a wedding feast in the heavenly kingdom, and he himself to the bridegroom. Did you see anyone fasting in the wedding feast? If someone does so, such a man is not celebrating with the groom. So they ate a lot and rejoiced. When Jesus saw the teachers of the law, they were too holy to approach. Recently we formed a new testimony sharing fellowship consisting of the Second and Chosen Generation teams. We called it the “Holy Club Fellowship”, temporarily. Shannon Smith felt uncomfortable about the name and suggested that we should call it “Forgiving Generation Fellowship”. Maybe the Pharisees were too holy to forgive others and they only condemned others all the time. Thus they became condemning machines without God’s love. So Jesus said in verse 21, “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse.” M. David would like to wear old pants because it is comfortable. So he wore one pair of pants for more than ten years and it worn out. If he sews a new patch of cloth on worn-out pants, it will make it worse when the patch tears out. Rather, M. Sarah will buy a new pair of pants as a B-day gift. Jacob Jr. loves to wear  Blue Jeans with a big hole. If he patches the hole with a new patch, it will shrink when he washes it in a washing machine because new clothes shrink when washed. What is the message here? The message is that we cannot mix the new patch with the old garment. We cannot mix our new life with our old life. We cannot patch our new life with little improvement. Romans 13:14 says, “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Jesus is our new garment. He will protect us and lead us to be right with God. 2 Cor. 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” The religious leaders could not contain the new wine of explosive gospel work of God because they remained in their old tradition. As long as one is legalistic, he is useless. Jesus gave another illustration.

Look at verse 22. “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.” The gist of Jesus’ teaching is, “do not mix new wine into the old wineskins.” Why? The new wine will burst the old wineskin when it is fermented and expanded. But the new wine must be poured into the new wineskins. In order to contain Jesus’ new teaching we must become the new wineskins. M. Luke Kim is so powerful because he named his fellowship New Wineskin Fellowship.  Jesus compared the Pharisees to old wineskins. They were, in one sense, good and tasty—like old wine. But they did not learn from Jesus. Jesus’ eating with sinners was revolutionary. It was a new beginning. Jesus’ gospel revolution began with his disciples. Eventually, this revolution swept the whole world. The Communist revolution only lasted seventy years but Jesus’ revolution goes on. Whoever catches Jesus’ revolution becomes a new man in Christ. But the Pharisees rejected the gospel of Jesus’ revolution and they became obstacles. They tried to extinguish Jesus’ revolution by nailing Jesus on the cross but they failed to so because Jesus rose again from the dead and conquered the power of sin and death. Jesus’ revolution is alive because Jesus is alive in heaven. The religious leaders were excluded in the salvation history of God. They could not contain Jesus’ new teaching and missed the kingdom of God. Jesus was sorry for them. On the other hand, Jesus compared his disciples to new wineskins. They were very rough and wild and young. But they loved Jesus. Thus, they loved God with all their strength. Let’s look at the comparison chart. The disciples were elastic, dynamic, exciting, explosive, humble, learning constantly, adventurous, and courageous while the Pharisees were rigid, boring, proud, unexciting, fixed, predictable, routine, serious, hypocritical, critical, complaining, and unforgiving. The disciples made many small mistakes. They learned from their mistakes and grew spiritually like little children. They ate a lot and cried a lot. But they grew in Jesus. They became excellent Bible teachers who changed the world history. They became history makers. Everything that has life grows and expands. Do you feel that your spiritual life is predictable, boring, routine, hypocritical, joyless, and empty? It is a critical sign that you are becoming UBF old wineskin. It is a sign that you do not have Jesus in your heart and you lost the vitality of the gospel. The Holy Club Fellowship is very exciting because the Jagun sisters are laughing and joyful. Andy Chang is very explosive these days because he has Jesus in his heart and believes that the word of God is absolute. We have to renew our gospel faith and expand the kingdom of God by inviting one soul to Jesus. Jesus did not hesitate to conclude: “New wine into new wineskins.” In this passage we learn that Jesus called Levi a tax collector as his own disciple and had a vision to make him saint Matthew. I pray that we all accept Jesus’ personal call and grow in his image by becoming new wineskins everyday. May God bless you to respond Jesus’ call today. Let’s read the key verse 17.