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Imagine you were starting a movement to change the whole world. Who would you pick for your team? Probably people who are smart, famous, rich, good at speaking and always well-behaved.
In Jesus' day, students usually went looking for a rabbi (a teacher) to learn from. Jesus does it the other way round. He goes looking for his followers, and the people he picks are a big surprise. As we keep reading Mark's Gospel and asking "Who is this?", today's clue is about the kind of people Jesus came for.
What you'll learn
- Who Jesus called to follow him, and what they left behind
- Why the religious leaders were shocked that Jesus ate with "sinners"
- What Jesus meant when he compared himself to a doctor
Fishers of people
Jesus is walking beside the Sea of Galilee. He sees two brothers, Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew, throwing their nets into the water. A little further on he sees two more brothers, James and John, fixing nets in their boat. They are ordinary working fishermen.
"‘Come, follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed Him." (Mark 1:17–18)
Jesus doesn't give a long speech or a list of rules. He simply says, "Follow me." And look at what they leave: nets, boats, the family business, even their father Zebedee, still sitting in the boat (Mark 1:20). They used to catch fish. Now they will help bring people to God.
What kind of person can say "Follow me" and have people drop everything on the spot? That's a clue about who Jesus is.
The tax collector
Next, Jesus walks past a tax booth. To understand how shocking this is, you need to know what people thought of tax collectors. They collected money for the Romans, who had taken over the land, and for the local ruler, Herod. Many charged extra and kept it for themselves. Other Jews saw them as traitors and cheats.
"As He was walking along, He saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth. ‘Follow Me,’ He told him, and Levi got up and followed Him." (Mark 2:14)
Imagine being one of the fishermen. How would you feel about Levi joining the team? And think about what Levi gave up. The fishermen could always go back to fishing. Levi couldn't easily get his tax job back once he walked away. He left it all.
The doctor's dinner party
Levi throws a dinner, and his friends come along: other tax collectors and "sinners", people known for living far from God's ways. In that culture, sharing a meal with someone meant accepting and welcoming them. So the religious experts are horrified. Why would a holy teacher eat with people like that?
Jesus answers with a picture:
"On hearing this, Jesus told them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’" (Mark 2:17)
| In the picture | What it means |
|---|---|
| The doctor | Jesus |
| The sick | People who know they have done wrong and need help |
| The "healthy" | People who think they're fine without Jesus |
| Going to the doctor | Coming to Jesus to be forgiven and changed |
Jesus isn't saying the religious leaders had no sin. He's saying you can't be helped by a doctor if you won't admit you're sick.
That is good news for anyone who feels like an outsider. Jesus went looking for outsiders. He didn't wait for people to clean themselves up first.
What does it cost? What do you gain?
Following Jesus cost the first disciples their jobs, boats and plans. Today it might cost time, popularity, some habits, maybe being laughed at. But they gained Jesus himself, forgiveness and a new purpose.
And here's a surprise: all through Mark, the disciples keep getting things wrong. Jesus keeps them anyway. He didn't pick the best team. He picked people who needed him, and then he changed them.
"Who is this?" clues
| Verse | Clue about who Jesus is |
|---|---|
| Mark 1:17–18 | When he calls, people leave everything to follow. |
| Mark 2:17 | He came like a doctor for sinners. |
Key words
- Disciple: a follower and learner of a teacher.
- Tax collector: someone who collected taxes for the Romans; often seen as a traitor and a cheat.
- Sinner: someone who has done wrong against God (which, the Bible says, is all of us).
- Follow: to go where Jesus goes, learn from him, and live his way.
How this points to Jesus
Jesus doesn't just teach about God's welcome. He is God's welcome. The doctor in his picture doesn't stand at a distance shouting advice. He sits down at the table with the sick. Later in Mark, Jesus will go even further, giving his own life so that sinners can be made right with God.
Think about it
Why do you think the fishermen left everything "at once" when Jesus called them?Show answer
There was something about Jesus that made them trust him straight away. Mark wants us to notice that only someone with real authority could call people like that.
Why were the religious leaders so shocked by Levi's dinner party?Show answer
In that culture, eating with someone meant welcoming and accepting them. They couldn't understand why a holy teacher would welcome cheats and sinners.
Is it good news or bad news that Jesus came for sinners and not for the "righteous"?Show answer
It's good news, because everyone has done wrong. If Jesus only came for perfect people, nobody would qualify. He came for people who know they need him.
Take it further
This week, notice who gets left out around you, at school, online, or in your street. What might it look like to welcome them the way Jesus welcomed Levi? Your worksheet helps you think about what following Jesus costs, and what it gives.
If you'd like to, you could pray:
Jesus, thank you that you came for people who need you, not for people who think they're perfect. Thank you that you welcome people others leave out. Help me to hear you when you say, "Follow me." Amen.