A Second Trial

 Here we go again.  In these verses, Luke gives the account of the apostles second trial before the Sanhedrin.  

The first time, the council basically gave them a warning ticket (Acts 4:18).  Peter and John told the Jewish leaders this wasn't going to stop them from telling others about Jesus (Acts 4:19-20).  

These religious big wigs toss the apostles in the clink a second time for continuing to proclaim the Gospel (Acts 4:17).  But this time God sends an angel to bust them out of the joint and continue preaching the Good News (Acts 4:19-21).

When the high priest and the Sanhedrin reconvenes the following day, they send for the 12 prisoners (v21).  There's only one problem.  They are not there (v22).  

And they are stunned at what they do find.  The cell block is still locked tight.  The guards are still standing at each cell door.  "But when we opened them we found no one inside” (v23).  

That left everyone scratching their heads (v24).  What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on?  

Suddenly, someone runs in to report that prisoners are actually "standing in the temple teaching the people" (v25).  They immediately send out the temple security detail to bring them in.  

But the cops don't make a big scene.  They don't use force.  But this has very little to do with civility and everything to do with public opinion.  "They were afraid of being stoned by the people" (v26).

It is interesting to note the difference in the reactions of the apostles and the captain of the temple guard.  

The Twelve didn't care that the council would most certainly arrest them.  They were going to obey the Lord.  They feared God.  

On the other hand, the temple cops worried about the people's reaction to putting the apostles in a paddy wagon.  They feared man.  

The Apostle Paul had the right priorities.  "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?  Or am I trying to please man?  If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ" (Gal 1:10).

Once the hearing gets underway, the high priest reminds them of the warning ticket he gave them just the other day.  

What particularly ticked him off was that these men were teaching the people that the Sanhedrin played a central role in Jesus' execution.  "You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this Man's blood upon us” (v28).  

Clearly, the Gospel is turning the city on its head.  It's all the buzz.  

As they have done many times before, Pete and the boys boldly accuse the Jewish leaders as being culpable in the death of Christ (Acts 2:23, 26; 3:15; 4:10).  The apostles pulled no punches.

As leader of the Twelve, Pete responds.  And the Sanhedrin's not going to like what he has to say.  "We must obey God rather than men” (v30).  He says they really have no choice.  

When the ruling authority demands a follower of Jesus to sin in disobedience, there is but one godly response.  Obey God.  

We've come to call it civil disobedience.  A better term would be godly obedience.  This call to obedience was such a burden for Martin Luther King that he led the American Civil Rights movement.  

Throughout the Bible, we read of God-fearing individuals thumbing their noses at sinful authority (Ex 1:15-17; Dan 6:4-10).

Pete goes on to proclaim Jesus' resurrection before the council.  "The God of our fathers raised Jesus” (v30).  

Let's be clear on this.  This is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who brought the Rabbi/Carpenter back to life.  

This is OUR God!  This is the God these Jewish leaders claimed to follow.

Then the fisherman drops the hammer and accuses the Sanhedrin of murdering Messiah.  "Whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree” (v30).  

And the Greek word used here is διαχειριζω/diacheirizo.  It means to lay hands on violently, to seize and kill, to murder.  

Pete doesn't want the high priest to miss his point.  Yes, Jesus' blood IS on his hands!

But it didn't end with simply a risen Jesus flaunting the council's failed plot to eliminate Him from the scene.  "God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior” (v31).  

Jesus has returned home to heaven.  And His Dad was saving a chair for Him.  It was the throne of authority at the Father's right hand (Ps 110:1 Lk 20:41-44; Acts 2:34-36; Phil 2:9-11).

God has given His Son the authority "to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins" (v31).  We often think of the forgiveness of sin as a gift, but how about repentance?  

Peter is teaching that repentance itself is a gift of God.  The Lord doesn't have to let us turn back to Him.  Our holy God could simply damn us to hell for a single sin, no questions asked.  

But He doesn't.  He grants us the gracious gift of repentance.  We should take full advantage of this wonderful gift each and every time it is needed.  For me, that is all too often.

Peter goes on to testify that the followers of Jesus "are witnesses to these things" (v32).  And they aren't the only ones.  “So is the Holy Spirit” (v32).  

God's Spirit also testifies to the truth of the Gospel.  And God gives His Spirit "to those who obey Him” (v32).  What a marvelous promise!  

And notice the appearance of the Trinity here in these verses.  The Father is at work.  The Son is risen, ruling and reigning.  The Spirit testifies.

In essence, Pete tells the council that if they make the apostles choose whom to follow, they will follow Jesus every time.  

How 'bout you?  

©2011

Jay Jennings

Break It up! Move along!

 As Peter wraps up his second sermon, the cops show up (v1).  There in the Court of the Gentiles under Solomon's Porch, the religious police roll up with blue lights flashing.  It was "the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees."  

"Break it up.  Move along.  Nothing to see here."  Or so they thought.

In just a few short days, the Gospel of Jesus had turned Jerusalem upside down.  The Sadducees thought they had put an end to all of this when they crucified the Carpenter/Rabbi.  

But something very strange was happening.  Instead of crushing this rebellion, they had stoked its fire.  

There are several things happening in this short passage.  There's the Sadducees and their lack of belief in the resurrection.  There's the fact of Jesus' resurrection and it's impact on the lives of His followers.  

And there's God's hand in what's happening, as He begins not-so-gently nudge the early church to take the Gospel beyond the city walls of Jerusalem.

First, the Sadducees were extremely ticked off at Pete's preaching on Jesus' resurrection.  The Sadducees were a small religious sect made up of the most wealthy.  

They were actually rivals to the Pharisees.  The Sadducees controlled the temple while the Pharisees controlled the synagogues.  

The Sadducees were the compromising liberals and the Pharisees conservative legalists.  The comparisons to the 21st century American church are quite rich.

The Sadducees accepted only the Pentateuch (the first five books of the OT).  They didn't believe in anything supernatural.  No angels.  And no resurrection of the dead.  

So for the Sadducees, it’s rather sad, you see.  I guess that’s the First Century version of a Dad Joke.  Whatever the case, the apostles had jumped all over their pet peeve.  Resurrection.

Second, Peter and the rest of the early church knew that the resurrection was a critical and essential fact of their faith.  

Christians who see no need to not only accept and believe but celebrate the empty tomb are really no different than the Sadducees.  

As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul went so far as to say to say that if God didn't raise Jesus, we're still dead in our sins.  

If there is no resurrection, "we are of all people most to be pitied" (1Cor 15:17-19).  A careful reading and study of 1 Corinthians 15 is important in understanding the importance of the resurrection.

We can't underestimate the impact seeing the risen Jesus had on His followers.  For 40 days, He lived with them, ate with them and taught them.  

He didn't just appear to His closest apostles but to several hundred followers (1Cor 15:3-8).  This fact could not be denied or disputed.

While the cross of Christ must not be ignored, the early church proclaimed a Gospel centered on a resurrected Jesus (Acts 2:24, 32; 3:15, 26; 4:10; 10:40; 13:18).  

We must remember that the cross and the resurrection come as a package deal.  These two events are essential to each other.  Like peanut butter and jelly.

Jesus lived the perfect life we couldn't live.  He died the death we should have died.  And He was raised to a heaven we don't deserve.  (The first two sentences belong to Mark Driscoll.  I’ve added the third.)  

We need both the cross and the empty tomb.  They are a package deal.  Peter and the early church clearly understood this.

Third, we can't ignore God's hand in what's happening here.  Certainly, Peter and the apostles preached with Spirit-filled boldness.  They were clearly unafraid of the consequences.  

But Jesus had commanded them to be His "witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" after His Spirit gave them the power to do so (Acts 1:8).

To this point, they were obedient to Step One.  They were incredible witnesses for Jesus in Jerusalem.  

And it had gone quite well for them in those very early days.  Luke tells us that they had the "favor with all the people" (Acts 2:47).  

But God had bigger plans for His Gospel message.  They were to take it beyond the city walls.

As God so often does, He uses sinful people as tools in His hand for divine purposes.  In the OT, He used sinful nations such as Assyria and Babylon to execute His will.  

He used Judas Iscariot, the religious establishment and the Roman government to carry out the sacrifice of His Son.  

And here, He is using first the sinful Sadducees and later Saul the Pharisee to get the message of the Gospel beyond Jerusalem.

Luke goes on to tell us that the Sadducees tossed Pete and John in jail that day (v3).  But bars can't contain the Gospel of grace.  People were coming to faith in Jesus.  

The good doctor tells us that "the number of the men came to about 5,000" (v4).  Now this probably is a cumulative total of saved men in the early church to this point, not just those repenting as the result of Pete's second sermon (but it could be argued either way).  

Don't miss the fact that Dr. Luke tells us this number was simply the men.  The number was clearly larger.  When God changes men, He changes families.  

The larger number impacted for Christ is more likely closer to 15,000-20,000.  Grace was flowing freely through the streets of the city! 

In the end, the Sadducees thought they were putting an end to this annoying movement by arresting these men and breaking up the crowd.  But they were only being used by God to get the Gospel to a lost and dying world.

"Break it up.  Move along."  That's EXACTLY what God had in mind!

©2011

Jay Jennings

Writing Loopholes in God's Law

 Getting Back Big Bucks

Imagine it’s April 15th. That’s Tax Day here in the dear ol’ U.S. of A. But in this little scenario you’re feeling pretty good about yourself and the return you’re filing this year.

Why so cocky? Because of several large loopholes, you’re not just avoiding writing Uncle Sam a huge check, He’s sending you back some big bucks.

There’s just one little problem. You won’t find any of these loopholes anywhere in the tax code. It seems you wrote them yourself. You’re sure the IRS won’t have a problem with your creativity. And I’m sure they won’t mind sizing you up for one of those snappy orange jumpsuits either.

A Come-to-Jesus Meeting

What does that have to do with Mark’s story of Christ? So very glad you asked. It seems some religious power brokers had a literal come-to-Jesus meeting. The result? Our Savior shuts them up after they try to shut Him down (Mk 7:1-13).

When the curtain rises on chapter 7 of the second Gospel, we see Jewish officials rolling into Galilee from headquarters in Jerusalem. They’ve clearly got big problems with the Lord and His closest followers.

Flipping the Script

It seems the Twelve’s not obeying the rules found in the infamous Hebrew handbook. Earlier religious leaders wrote this manual and have handed it down for years. Break the rules at your own peril.

Let’s just say their little chat with the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth doesn’t go as planned. He totally flips the script on these know-it-alls and calls them out on their own disobedience. It seems they’ve written their own loopholes into God’s Law and that’s not gonna fly.

Mark picks up the story as “some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus” (v1). The home office of the Hebrews sends a team of their best to check out Jesus. It makes sense since His popularity has spiked.

Not the First Time

It’s not the first time they’ve investigated the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth. There was the time they crashed Levi’s house party and freak out when when they see Jesus hanging out with the scum of society (Mk 2:15-17).

Later they blow a gasket when, in their not-so-humble opinion, Christ and His crew spend too much time fasting and not enough time feasting (Mk 3:18-22). Another time, their jaws hit the floor when they catch the Lord and the boys hitting a drive-thru on Saturday, breaking all sorts of Sabbath rules (Mk 3:23-28).

Forcing Jesus to Follow Your Rules

Ever hear about the time these religious nitpickers try to trap Jesus into breaking their man-made rules about church (Mk 3:1-6)? He becomes such a problem for them that they eventually figure He must be an agent of Satan (Mk 3:20-30).

There’s a really important lesson here for all of us. Don’t make the mistake of forcing Jesus to follow your rules. It won’t end well. We need to remember that it works the other way around. He graciously provides us with commands that unlock supernatural joy and abundant life that only God provides

Ceremony, Not Sanitation

So when they see our Savior stirring up trouble again in Galilee, the Pharisees and scribes reach into their bag of tricks and pull out an oldie but a goodie, a little something called ritual washing. “They noticed that some of His disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating” (v2).

Maybe the first thing that came to mind when you read this passage is when your mom made sure you washed your hands before supper. Just so we’re clear, personal hygiene isn’t the issue. These rules are NOT about sanitation and ALL about ceremony.

A Convoluted Ceremony

Since Mark writes for mostly a non-Jewish audience of Roman readers, he has to explain the finer points of Hebrew religious tradition when it comes to the complicated sequence of ceremonial hand washing (v3-4). It’s way more convoluted that those signs we see in restaurant restrooms telling employees to use soap and warm water.

It goes a little something like this. The ceremony begins with pointing your fingers up while someone else pours water over your hands. Here’s where the NLT gets the picture of “cupped hands” (v3). If the water drips off at your wrist, you can proceed to the next step. If not, start over.

Make a Fist

Step two is turning your hands over and pointing your fingers down. Someone then pours more water over them a second time. And you thought the “lather, rinse, repeat” instructions on your bottle of shampoo was a little much.

Think you grab a towel and dry off at this point? Not so fast, my friend. Now you make a fist with one hand and begin rubbing the other hand to dry it off. And you do that all the way up to the elbow.

Then each hand was to be rubbed with the fist of the other hand. As you can imagine, this takes a while. And the crazy thing is that you’re expected to do this even if you don’t have any water by dry scrubbing and rubbing your hands to get ceremonially clean.

Turning on the Blue Lights

When the religious police don’t see Jesus and His followers following their rules, they turn on the blue lights. “Why don’t Your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony” (v5).

Did you catch that? “YOUR disciples….OUR age-old tradition” (emphasis added). Gulp. Do you realize just Whom you’re talking to? They’re going to learn in Galilean minute that trying bully the Son of God is a very bad idea.

Tradition with a Capital T

“Tradition” is an important word here in this passage. It’s the Greek noun παραδοσις/paradosis, which literally describes a handing down or handing over or something delivered. Here it means the passing down of something important from one generation to the next.

Back in first century Israel, tradition isn’t simply history or how things have usually been done for a while. This is Tradition with a capital T. We’re talking about all sorts of formal rules and regs collected and passed down.

Religious Hall Monitors

The bad part is that this so-called tradition actually took the place of God’s Word as the highest authority in Judaism. In Jesus’ day, it simply existed in oral form since the days of the Babylonian captivity. A couple of hundred years later, Jewish leaders wrote it down into what we know today as the Mishna.

In the process, the scribes and Pharisees end up adding hundreds of their own rules and regs to God’s commands. They believe their role was to be the religious hall monitors and make sure everybody toes the line.

Every. Single. Person.

Part of that tradition is ceremonial washing. Back on Mount Sinai, God gave Moses commands requiring that priests wash their hands before eating holy offerings (Ex 30:17-21; 40:12-15). Over the years, leaders expand those stipulations to cover anyone and everyone worshiping the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Not just priests. Every. Single. Person.

For those of you who grew up Catholic, you’re probably familiar with this idea of tradition. According to Catholic teaching, there are three legs on the doctrinal stool: the Bible, papal decree, and tradition. In other words, tradition carries the same weight as God’s Word. You’re going to see that Jesus says the exact opposite.

Posers

But there’s something else going on here too. Commentators believe these knuckleheads from Jerusalem have arrived with a simple plan: Convict this Troublemaker of breaking Moses’ law. They plan to use tradition to take Christ down.

It’s at this point that Jesus leads these Old Testament experts on a rather interesting Bible study. He begins by calling them out for, well, being posers. “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you” (v6).

Wearing a Mask

Hypocrite is one of those words that even folks who’ve never been in a church throw around. It comes from a Greek word (Gr. ‘υποκριτης/hupokrites) that describes an actor or someone simply pretending to be somebody else.

It’s a compound word that literally means to interpret from underneath. Back in the Greco-Roman world, actors in the theater wore big masks in order to portray different characters. Kinda like they wear heavy makeup and prosthetics in movies and plays 

today.

The Oscar Goes to…

That’s how hypocrite came to mean an imposter pretending to be something they’re not. They’re a fake and a phony. They present themselves as one thing when in fact they’re really something else.

Jesus isn’t complimenting them on their acting ability. He’s not nominating them for an Oscar. Just the opposite. Our Savior sees right through them. He gets up in their grill and calls them counterfeits.

Take off the Mask

They’re not the only ones. We ALL need to take off our masks. You. Me. Us. Them. It’s time to stop the act. Get real. Be who you are. Don’t worry about what others think of you. Be you. The real you. You do know God can see the real you, right?

That’s why it’s important to find a group of folks who accept you just as you are but love you too much to let you stay that way. In other words, we all need friends who love us unconditionally, without our masks, just like Jesus does.

When Your Worship Is a Farce

Back in Mark’s Gospel, the Lord goes on to tell these religious leaders that God has mentioned them in the Bible. Most times that might be pretty sweet…except this time. This time He’s using them as the bad example. Gulp.

Christ quotes from a conversation His Father had with the prophet Isaiah (Is 29:13). “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God” (v6-7).

Religion or Relationship?

This is originally part of God’s warning to His people to turn their worship around. Despite the holy heads up, they didn’t listen. About 100 years after Isaiah sounds the alarm, God allows Babylon to bulldoze the nation of Judah and haul the people off as slaves. Can’t say they weren’t warned.

Now Jesus accuses the Pharisees and scribes of doing just the same. They’re all about rules but NOT a relationship. That’s the big difference between placing your faith in Christ and religion. Religion is all about what we have to do to reach God. Faith in Jesus is all about what He has already done.

The Ultimate Rule Follower

In other words, religious rule-following to reach God is like trying to high jump to Jupiter. Yeah, good luck with that. Our Savior does for us what we could never do for ourselves. He brings God to us here on earth in human form so that we can have a relationship with Him.

Jesus follows all the rules because we can’t. He dies the death for our disobedience we should have died. He rises to the new life we don’t deserve. We place our trust in what He’s done and His loving leadership for our lives.

A Big Steaming Pile

One of the greatest Pharisees of all time learned this lesson the hard way before placing his faith in the resurrected Jesus. The apostle formerly known as Saul worked his tail off to build up such an impressive religious resume that God had to accept him.

Despite piling up a LinkedIn profile that might make the Pope jealous, Paul realized it was all a big steaming pile compared to knowing Jesus (Phil 3:4-11). He says there’s nothing more awesome than a relationship with the risen Son of God.

A Biblical Buffet

These religious know-it-alls don’t know that yet. Instead Christ cuts to the chase. “For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition” (v8). They’re rewriting the rules to suit their own agenda. They trim out this pesky little section over here. They add little something something over there.

Come on, admit it. You and I do the same. We carefully pick and choose what parts of God’s Word we want to obey. Kinda like some sort of biblical buffet. I take some of this. Ooo, I LOVE that! We pass right on by the stuff we don’t like they’re Brussel sprouts.

A Tradition of Insurrection

We need to realize this is a not-so-subtle form of revolt against the King of Kings. It’s saying that His commands aren’t good enough. We’ve got a better idea when it comes to running the universe.

So we weasel our way onto His throne and rewrite His rules. Bad idea. Trading our man-made ways for His perfect and holy law is an age old tradition. A tradition of insurrection and rebellion. And in case you didn’t know, we’re ALL rebels against God’s kingdom before Jesus came to our rescue (Rom 5:10).

If You Can Dodge a Wrench

Jesus gives the Pharisees and scribes a sweet backhanded compliment. “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition” (v9). Boys, when it comes to avoiding the Father’s commands, you’ve got serious game! To paraphrase the great Patches O’Hoolihan, “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a command.”

The Lord then gives them a specific example of their nimble disobedience (v10). He reminds them that God thinks honoring our parents is such a good idea that He put it in His Top Ten (Ex 20:12). Our Heavenly Dad goes so far as to say that talking smack about them is a capital crime (Ex 21:17). Apparently He skips right past time out.

A Hebrew Pre-Nup

But these religious legal experts evade these commands by writing their own loophole. Jesus says, “But you say it is right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given you’” (v11).

This is something called “corban.” Think of it as a sort of Hebrew pre-nup. It’s a promise that ties up your fortune to support future work at the temple. Kinda like announcing that you’re leaving all of your inheritance to the church.

Shirking Their Responsibility

Giving a huge chunk of cash to further God’s kingdom might sound like a great idea. I mean, who wouldn’t like their name on that cool new Sunday school building? Maybe you could even get a plaque on your own special pew like some sort of religious PSL.

But the problem is that it’s really an excuse they use to shirk their responsibility to help their own families. By promising their portfolios to the temple, they believe their money was now untouchable for any other use…that includes helping mom and dad!

Caring for Aging Parents

Jesus pulls no punches with them. “In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents” (v12). Remember, there are no 

nursing homes, retirement communities, social security, or longterm care insurance in the First Century. It’s up to adult children to care for their aging parents.

So in order to get out of honoring their parents with financing support, the Pharisees and scribes have cooked up their own loophole in God’s law. Geez, Mom and Dad, I’d love to help you. I really would. There’s just one hitch. I promised it to God. Stinks to be you.

Not an Isolated Incident

Christ calls them on their con. “And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others” (v13). Somehow these religious leaders think they can cook up their own commands that make divine decrees null and void.

This isn’t some isolated incident either. These religious leaders have been working overtime to come up with all sorts of crazy 

laws to repeal God’s precepts. Just how god are His commands? King David wrote a song about them and it goes a little something like this.

“The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living” (Ps 19:7-8). There’s more. Do I need to go on? I didn’t think so.

God Doesn’t Need an Editor

When it comes to God’s commands, He doesn’t need an editor. He’s not looking for a rewrite. So let's all put down the red pen.

The only thing He asks of us is our willing obedience. Don’t buy the lie that His law is a cosmic buzzkill. It’s the key that unlocks the flood of divine joy and abundant life.

God's Guardrails

Whether it’s you and me or the scribes and Pharisees, we’re making a big mistake when we rewrite God’s divine decrees. First of all, we might think we’re being clever and creating a loophole. Not so much.

Second, we’re missing out on the path to true joy through willing obedience. Our loving Dad in heaven wants nothing but His best for us. In many ways these commands are God’s guardrails to protect us from ourselves.

Third, if you think the feds are rough on tax cheats, that’s nothing compared to those who monkey with the law of God. It makes an IRS audit will look like a vacation at Sandals.

Inviting the Uninvited

Dinner for Schmucks

I admit to having a soft spot for goofball comedies. That probably says more about me being a goofball than anything else. You’re more likely to catch me watching “Airplane!” or “Anchorman” than cracking open a copy of Madame Bovary or The Tale of Two Cities.

So when I read Mark’s version of Jesus inviting Levi into God’s kingdom and then Levi inviting Jesus to a party he throws for local outcasts, the first thing that comes to my mind is the movie “Dinner for Schmucks.” I wanna be clear. This is a terrible flick. Two thumbs WAY down. Absolutely awful. Don’t waste your time. It’s almost two hours of your life you’ll never get back. Ever.

Weirdos, Goofballs, and Knuckleheads

It’s not the movie’s execution but its premise that reminds me of Mark 2:13-17. The plot goes something like this. Some people invite a bunch of losers over for a big bash. The guest list includes all sorts of weirdos, goofballs, and knuckleheads you would NEVER be caught dead with.

But they’re not there out of some act of goodwill or compassion. Far from it. They’re invited to provide the punchline. They’re not in on the joke. They ARE the joke. The winner of the dinner is the one who invites the biggest buffoon.

Rejects and Riffraff

At first glance, there’s not much difference between this piece of cinematic trash and Mark’s description of a similar shindig. Once again, outcasts pack the place. Just like the movie, there’s a cocky crew who thinks it’s better than everybody else.

The HUGE difference is the presence of one Man. Actually, one God-Man. Jesus is there. He shows up because of the rejects and riffraff. Not to make fun of them. He’s in the house because these folks know where they stand. He’s there to have dinner WITH schmucks. He’s there to invite the uninvited.

Buying a Local Franchise

But before we get this party started, let’s set the scene. It’s First Century Galilee, a backwater region in what we know today as Israel. Back in the day, it was an forgettable sliver of the Roman Empire. No big cities. Just tiny villages full of the working poor. Blue-collar folks like fishermen and carpenters.

The government makes sure they stay that way. The Romans heap a tax burden on folks unlike anything we could ever imagine. The empire slaps a fee on anything that moves. If that’s not bad enough, the Romans actually sell local taxation franchises.

An Israelite franchise holder not only collects revenue for the government but can LEGALLY charge as much they want and keep the rest. Talk about multilevel marketing! And you think the IRS has a bad rep. Please.

Tax Collecting Traitors

You can understand why these tax collectors aren’t just disliked, they are hated. There are few things worse in Jewish society. Not only have you sold your soul to the occupying evil empire, but you’re making a boatload of bucks in the process. You may own a tax franchise, but you’re now a traitor, disenfranchised by just about anyone and everyone.

Okay, I realize NOBODY likes talking about taxes…except if you’re a politician, CPA, or work for H and R Block. So why does all this matter? Because Mark’s story all turns around a Galilean tax collector and his circle of slimy associates.

Jesus shocks the crowd when He goes out of His way to hang out with them. He’s the guest of honor at the dinner with schmucks. But our Savior goes even further. In the face of religious insiders, He’s interested in the outsiders. Christ invites the uninvited.

Back to the Beach

We pick up the story of Jesus in the second chapter of Mark’s Gospel. As we look down the beach of Lake Galilee, we see the radical Rabbi/Carpenter headed this way. “He went out again to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to Him” (v13).

It wasn’t that long ago that the Son of God called His first four followers near this same spot on this same shoreline (Mk 1:16-20). The buzz about Him continues to build and the crowds continue to grow (Mk 1:45). In the face of tremendous popularity, Christ refuses to lose His focus on preaching and teaching (Mk 1:38-39).

A Face in the Crowd

As the Lord makes His way through the crowd, somebody catches His eye. “As He walked along, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth” (v14). Jesus doesn’t just see an audience, He sees individuals. He sees Levi. He sees you. He sees me.

How often do I see a big crowd as an obstacle in my way rather than individuals dealing with their own issues? I need to stop looking at the pack and start looking at people. Make eye contact. Say “hello.” And why not? God has made everybody I meet as I’m walking down the street in His image. Jesus died for every single one of them.

Rebranding Levi

As the Lord heads up the shore, He notices a guy trying to make a buck. Mark tells us his name is Levi. He’s Alphaeus’ boy. Over in Matthew’s version of the same story, the author says the dude’s name is…well…Matthew! Becoming a follower of Jesus changes everything. For some of us that includes changing our names.

It actually happens a lot. Christ rebrands Simon as Peter or “Rocky.” He rebrands a couple of brothers as the Sons of Thunder. He rebrands Saul as Paul. Why not? Jesus’ Dad did the same in the Old Testament too. Abram and Sarai become Abraham and Sarah. Jacob becomes Israel.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence Jesus mentions something similar to the Apostle John. One day the Lord will give each of His followers a personally engraved stone with “a new name the that no one understands except the who who receives it” (Rev 2:17). Is there really anything more personal than someone you love giving you a nickname? Imagine your Savior giving you one. That sounds pretty sweet to me.

Lots of Traffic and Lots of Tolls

Mark describes how Jesus sees Levi/Matthew who has set up shop next to the big lake. Robertson says this would have been along the Great West Road from Damascus to the Mediterranean. It’s a busy highway. Lots of traffic. And that means lots of tolls.

There’s also a pretty good chance he’s also putting the squeeze on the commercial fishermen who work the waters. Historians let us know the Romans never missed the chance to slap a tax on anything. Locals not only had to pay for the hefty cost of a license but probably on their catch as well.

Jesus Makes an Offer

Christ sees Levi “sitting at his tax collector’s booth” (v14). Not exactly a place anybody goes if they can avoid it. But instead of steering clear, Jesus does the opposite. He walks up and extends an amazing offer, “Follow Me and be My disciple” (v14). That’s right, He asks a traitor to be part of His team. The Son of God invites the uninvited.

We need understand that’s NOT how the system worked back in the day. Rabbis don’t recruit disciples. It’s the other way around. People apply. There’s a waiting list. Only the best and brightest make the cut. No self-respecting religious teacher lowers himself to actually seek a student. Especially a lowlife tax collector like Levi.

That’s because Jesus isn’t like other hotshot religious celebrities of the day. He knows exactly the kind of follower He’s looking for. He’s not building an impressive roster of five-star super saints. He’s building a series of individual relationships. The Lord is still inviting the uninvited two thousand years later to come along for the ride. Just so we’re clear, I’m talking about people like you and me.

A Traveling Partner

As scandalous as our Savior’s invitation to Levi was, the taxman takes Him up on the offer. “So Levi got up and followed Him” (v14). To be sure, Levi didn’t blindly respond to a stranger’s offer out of the blue. He would have been VERY aware of the crazy stories of miracles flying around Capernaum. He may not have met Him, but he would have known who Jesus is.

What exactly is His offer? “Follow” is a Greek word ακολουθεω/akoloutheo, which comes from a root word that means road. Jesus invites Levi to be His traveling partner. Allow the Lord to determine the direction and the route. It speaks of a relationship. Where you go doesn’t matter as long as you’re together.

It’s Okay, I’m with the Band

In the original language, “follow” doesn’t describe someone who simply heading in the same direction with a random stranger. You identify strongly with the person you’re following. You’re linked with the one leading the way. It’s like the old line, “It’s okay, I’m with the band.”

Following Jesus unlocks the door to the most remarkable places. Forget Costco or that ritzy country club. Cruising with Christ gains us access to the most exclusive joint you can imagine. The Kingdom of God. Somebody may be surprised to see you in heaven. If they ask for how you got in, just say, “I’m with Him. I’m with Jesus.”

Following the Lord, Following His Commands

But following Jesus is more than just downloading a few songs, attending a couple of concerts, and buying a t-shirt. It’s trusting totally in His leadership. Following the Lord means I follow His commands. What He wants for me is better than what I want for me.

Did I obey Him perfectly from the get-go? Not even close. Do I obey Him perfectly today? Are you kidding me? But following Him means I’ve given myself to His lifelong process of becoming His disciple. He won’t give up on me when I stumble and fall. My Lord promises to finish the job He starts in me (Phil 1:6). And He makes the same guarantee to each one of the uninvited He invites.

Things Get Awkward

We go from Jesus asking Levi to follow to Levi asking Jesus to a party. “Later, Levi invited Jesus and His disciples to his home as dinner guests” (v15). Things are about to get awkward. Not only is the Rabbi there, but so are His disciples. At least four former fishermen are in the home of the same man who was jamming them for taxes not long ago.

Following Jesus radically changes our relationships. People we used to avoid (are I say “hate”?) are now our brothers and sisters. Enemies become friends. That’s because Christ came to knock down the walls we’ve built between races, cultures, religions, and all the other artificially imposed social barriers (Rom 10:12; 1Cor 12:13; Gal 3:28; Eph 2:14; Col 3:11).

Losers, Rejects, and Outcasts

They aren’t the only guests. They’re joined by “many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners” (v15). Levi has invited a bunch of his tax collecting buddies. Mark’s description tips us off that Jewish society sees tax collectors as such dirtbags that they have their own special category of sinfulness. 

Levi also opens his doors to all sorts of people shunned and dissed by the world. His guest list includes “other disreputable sinners” (v15). This is the author’s junk drawer term for the rest of the riffraff in attendance. These are far from the best and the brightest. This is a motley collection of losers, rejects, and outcasts. You know what they say, “Misery loves company.”

This party makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Levi has just met Someone who has radically transformed his life. He wants his friends to meet Jesus too. Why not do the same thing? Invite your friends who don’t know Him over to your house and tell them all about your Savior. You’re not cramming Christ down their throats. You’re simply making an introduction.

Turning Outsiders into Insiders

Don’t miss Mark’s little parenthetical comment: “(There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.)” (v15). Clearly the folks hanging out with Jesus at Levi’s big shindig fit the profile of most of Christ’s followers. Not a couple. Not a few. Not a handful. Many.

I’ll betcha nobody had to tip them off about their standing in society. They knew better than anyone where they stood. And where they stood was on the outside looking in. But here’s the crazy thing. That’s EXACTLY who Jesus came to save. He loves to turn outsiders into insiders. He loves to invite the uninvited.

Crashing the Party

However, the uninvited aren’t the only ones invited to Levi’s party. “But when the teachers of the religious law who were Pharisees saw Him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, the asked His disciples, ‘Why does He eat with such scum?’” (v16).

Apparently the religious police are staking out the joint, hoping to catch Jesus redhanded doing such dirty deeds as hanging out with the dregs of society. These are the ones in charge of who’s in and who’s out at the local synagogue. In other words, they decide who’s invited and who’s not.

Ironically, there’s little chance Levi invited them to be there. These religious teachers have crashed the party just so they can blow the whistle on Jesus and anyone else breaking their rules. Boy, do they love to throw their weight around. They’re like an HOA board run amuck.

Self-Righteous Windbags

Notice how the Pharisees don’t have the guts to challenge Christ directly. Instead they take their complaint to His followers. Do we even need to discuss this? Anytime we have a problem with someone, don’t go all passive aggressive. Instead, pull up your big boy (or big girl) pants and talk directly to them. Tell them what’s wrong. Work it out. Person to person.

Well, Christ cuts out the middle man and confronts these self-righteous windbags. “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (v17). Just as He did at Simon and Andrew’s house (Mk 2:1-12), Jesus sees Himself as the Physician who can treat spiritual sickness.

Saving the Bacon of the Broken

This is the Son of God’s way of saying, “Okay, let’s go there. Let’s assume for a moment you’re right. Let’s assume that you’ve got you’re act together and really are perfect. Let’s assume you’ve got a clean bill of spiritual health.” Well, we all know what happens when we assume.

What these religious bullies don’t realize is that EVERYBODY needs a Savior. You, me, us, them (Rom 3:10-13, 23). What Jesus tells the Pharisees is He came to save those who KNOW they need to be saved. If not, He really can’t help you. Christ didn’t come to rescue the self-righteous. He came to save the bacon of the broken and humble.

Declaring Spiritual Bankruptcy

That’s exactly what Jesus talks about in the opening lines of His most famous message, the one we call the Sermon on the Mount. “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs” (Mt 5:3). Our debt of sin toward God is so great, we must declare spiritual bankruptcy. When we do, Christ writes a check on the cross to cover our cost.

Here’s the crazy thing. The scribes think they’re spiritually hot stuff. They think they’re healthy. They think they’re the only ones who’ve truly earned an invitation from God. The irony is that because they believe they’re invited, they are actually UNinvited! The only way to ensure our invitation from Jesus is know we don’t deserve one.

Nobodies and Somebodies

t’s like what Paul said to some friends at a church in Corinth. “I don’t see many of ‘the brightest and the best’ among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these ‘nobodies’ to expose the hollow pretensions of the ‘somebodies’?” (1Cor 1:27-28 The Message).

It’s almost like Paul is describing Levi’s crazy house party in Galilee. Jesus showers His grace on Levi and this long list of losers. They readily receive His love because they know they need it. They’re not arrogant insiders but grateful outsiders. They’re simply beggars who’ve figured out where to find the bread.

Dinner WITH Schmucks

This is no Dinner for Schmucks. Jesus has come to have dinner WITH them. And they know they’re schmucks. They know their losers. Nobody has to tell them. Levi and his friends realize they’re on the outside looking in. And for that reason, they’re just the kind of people Christ has come for.

Jesus loves inviting the uninvited.

©2017 

Jay Jennings