Mark 2:13-22
Be Still: In this quiet moment, Lord, I look to you. Quiet my mind and calm my heart. Let your presence fill this space and your Spirit shape my thoughts. Amen
Read: Mark 2:13-22
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.' (v17)
Encounter: The Kingdom Welcomes All.
I find parties hard. For an introvert, the energy of large gatherings can feel overwhelming. I try to join in, ask questions, offer something to the conversation – but my words often seem to drop to the floor. I feel more of a spare part than a welcome guest. It’s awkward. I quietly start wondering if I should’ve stayed home.
That sense of not fitting in helps me see Levi’s dinner with Jesus in a deeper way. Levi was a Jewish tax collector – taking money from his own people on behalf of the Roman occupiers. He was more than unpopular. He was seen as a traitor – someone who had sold out his faith and his community for personal gain, a moral disgrace.
Jesus doesn’t back away. He sees Levi at his booth and says, 'Follow me.' And Levi does.
Soon, Jesus is sitting at Levi’s table, surrounded by people others had written off – tax collectors and sinners, those far outside the boundaries of religious acceptability. They weren’t just awkward company – they were walking reminders of betrayal, failure, and shame. To be seen with them was to risk reputation. But Jesus chose that risk.
When questioned by religious leaders, Jesus replies, 'It’s not the healthy who need a doctor – I came for the sick.'
He came for those who couldn’t fix themselves. Not the perfect, but the honest. Jesus sat with those others had given up on – and he still does.
Apply: Have you ever felt a spare part, awkward, unsure of your worthiness? Do you wonder if grace is still for you? 'Am I welcome at Jesus’ table?' Be assured: Jesus hasn’t excluded you. He came especially for you.
You don’t need to impress him or fix everything first. Jesus knows the places where you’ve felt rejected, and he says, 'Come, this way, follow me.'
Receive his invitation. Let grace draw close.
Devote: Jesus, thank you for welcoming those whom others reject. When it’s hardest to believe that welcome includes me, remind me again: I belong because you say so.