05 Jan Mark 05: The scandal of grace

Mark 2:13-22

¹³ He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. ¹⁴ And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. ¹⁵ And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷ And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

¹⁸ Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁹ And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰ The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. ²¹ No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. ²² And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

Those of you who have been to my house would know that the moment you step inside my house, you would be greeted with my family portrait which was taken when I was like 9 years old. Almost everyone laughed or at least tried not to laugh when they saw the portrait for the first time. If you never saw it, don’t worry. Some people took a picture of it for the very purpose of circulating it in the next few days. What you might not know is the suffering I had to go through because of it. Every time we played sport at school, I was always part of the group called the invisible players. I was one of those players that whether they play or not, did not make any difference for the team. So, I was always got picked last. I hated it.

But we understand the principle, right? If we want the job done right, we have to find the right person to do it. If we are having trouble with our car, we don’t call our pastor. We need someone who knows their way into the car’s engine. If we need a chef, we don’t find someone who knows how to wield a paintbrush. We find someone who knows how to wield a knife. It is logical to find the right person for the job. However, the kingdom of God operates differently from the way of this world. When Jesus picked his team, Jesus did not go for the right people. Jesus did not go and find the theologically trained, morally upright, spiritually disciplined people. Instead, he gathered everyday sinners. Jesus intentionally chose those who were weak to shame the strong. Because the truth is no one is good enough in his eyes. If Jesus were to choose good and capable people for his team, there would be none. Jesus is on a whole different level compared to the best of man. He is not impressed with anyone. Yet Jesus says, “I can win the game on my own. I can get things done without any help. I don’t need anyone on my team, but I chose people for my team because I love them.” The gospel tells us that God chose his people not based on merit but grace. He chose those who are his not based on their goodness but his love. No one can earn or deserve God’s grace. Grace is given solely according to God’s pleasure. This is the scandal of grace.

Tonight, we are continuing our series on the book of Mark. The book of Mark is written to make sure that we always have access to know who the real Jesus is. Because Jesus who is a projection of our own desire is useless. That Jesus cannot do anything for us. And in Mark chapter 2, Jesus’ popularity and fame are spreading like a wildfire. Everyone wants a piece of Jesus. But not everyone is happy with Jesus. Opposition to Jesus is rising just as rapidly. Because Jesus refuses to conform himself to people’s expectations. Jesus uses his authority to challenge the religious leaders and the tradition of his days. But he doesn’t challenge them just for the sake of it. In this passage, Jesus shows us that the reason he challenges the tradition of his days is because he is offering something new and better. Let me put it this way. The gospel is not an addition to our life. The gospel is like an explosion that destroys our old life to create something new. The gospel changes everything.

Let’s get into the passage. I have three points for my sermon: The call of grace; The fellowship of grace; The newness of grace.

The call of grace

Mark 2:13-14 – ¹³ He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. ¹⁴ And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

It is obvious that Jesus’ main priority is teaching. Whenever the crowd gathers around him, he always uses the opportunity to teach the gospel to them. And Mark tells us that as Jesus passes by, he sees Levi sitting at the tax booth. It means that Levi is a tax collector. And when Jesus sees Levi, he says to him, “Follow me.” When Levi hears that, Levi immediately rises from his seat and follows Jesus. And this is shocking. By calling a tax collector to follow him, Jesus commits a scandalous act. Jesus ignores the social norm of his day. Let me explain.

At the time of Jesus, tax collectors are the number one public enemy because they not only collect taxes from the people with interest, but they also use the money to fund the Roman’s army. The Romans have a problem collecting taxes from the conquered cities. So, the Romans hired a native from the conquered cities to collect the tax for them. The Romans does not care how much extra the tax collectors collect for themselves, as long as they received their quota. So, tax collectors make lots of money by cheating on people’s taxes. In other words, tax collectors are those who sell out their family and friends to a foreign power. To the Jews, who have a very strong nationalistic pride, tax collectors are worse than sinners. They are considered traitors, and they are not treated as people. One document said that it’s okay to lie to tax collectors because lying to an animal is not a sin. Tax collectors are expelled from the synagogue, and they are a disgrace to their families. And the moment tax collectors step a foot inside a house, the entire house becomes unclean. People treat tax collectors worse than lepers. Lepers are unclean not by choice while tax collectors are unclean by choice. To associate with tax collectors is more offensive than to touch lepers.

And here comes Jesus. He sees Levi, the worst of the worst, and he says, “Levi, I want you to follow me.” Out of all people in Capernaum, Levi is the most unacceptable person. He is the least likely candidate. He is the man no one wanted and the man everyone condemned. This is extremely scandalous. If we were Jesus, we would never choose Levi to be our disciples. But Jesus is different from us. Jesus seeks Levi and he wants Levi. Why? Because Jesus does not operate based on merit but grace. And grace is only given to the unqualified. Grace is given at God’s choice. The reason we are surprised that Jesus would call people like Levi is because we think we are better than Levi. We think we are different. The truth is, there is not a single righteous person. Not even one. Everyone has fallen short of the glory of God. Jesus only has sinners to work with. Just like Levi, we also sit in the tax booth of our sins, living for ourselves, and not caring about God and others. And we will keep sitting in our sin if Jesus does not interrupt us the way he interrupted Levi. And if we put our faith in Jesus today, the only reason we can do that is not because we are better than others. The only reason we are Christians is because Jesus saw us sitting in our sins, but he did not ignore us. But he graciously said to us, “Follow me.” And at his call, faith arose in us, and we rose from our sins and follow Jesus. That is why we have absolutely no reason to boast in our salvation. The reason we are saved is simply because God has chosen us and called us to be his.

I love the way Charles Spurgeon puts it. “I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen him; and I am sure he chose me before I was born, or else he never would have chosen me afterwards; and he must have chosen me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why he should have looked upon me with a special love.” And please don’t get offended to know that God did not choose us because of our quality. In fact, this is good news. Because God did not choose us because of our quality, it means that God’s love for us is constant in the ups and downs of life. He loves us in our mountain high and he loves us in our valley low. He has set his love on us before we were even born, and he was determined to send his son to die for us so that we might be adopted as his children. This is a bedrock foundation that we can stand on no matter what happens in life.

But it doesn’t end there. We are not simply called by grace, but God wants to use us as extensions of his grace. Levi has another name. And his other name is one that we are very familiar with. Levi’s other name is Matthew. And this is the same Matthew that writes the gospel of Matthew. Do you know what Matthew means? The gift of God. And this is what God does in our salvation. He turns Levis into Matthews. He turns thieves into gifts. When Jesus sees Levi sitting in the tax booth, he sees Levi not simply as a tax collector but as a gospel writer. Jesus knows exactly what he is doing when he calls Levi to follow him. Many years ago, a great marble block was brought into the city of Florence. This marble was intended to be made into a statue of a great Old Testament prophet. But the marble contained imperfections. When the great sculptor Donatello saw it, he immediately refused to do the job. So, the marble was left in the cathedral yard, a useless block. Then one day, another sculptor saw the imperfect block. But this time it was different. This sculptor imagined the wonder that he could do with it. And he decided to take the job. For two years, the artist worked extremely hard to create this piece of art. And finally, on 25^th January 1504, all the people assembled to see what he had made of the imperfect flawed block. As the veil was removed from the statue, everyone held their breath. It was a masterpiece. And it continued to be one for hundreds of years. The statue was the statue of David by Michelangelo, one of the greatest works of art in history. In the same way, get this. When Jesus calls us in all our imperfections, he does not see us as a flawed product. He sees us as his masterpiece. Jesus is the great artist who turned the worst sinners into his masterpiece. This is grace.

However, pay attention to Levi’s response to the call of Jesus. Levi immediately rises and follows Jesus. When Levi follows Jesus, it is not simply an act of believing but an act of doing. The moment Levi leaves the tax booth, there is no turning back for him. Fishermen can always go back to fishing. But a tax collector who abandons his post cannot return to his post. This is a radical decision, and this is what it means to follow Jesus. Following Jesus is extremely costly. Let me tell you why this is important. Because it is possible for you to be in church all your life, you can have an intellectual agreement on Jesus, and not experience the call of grace. Because the call of grace changes people. The call of grace gives new life. So how do we know if we have experienced the call of grace? Here is how. We know that we have experienced the call of grace when there is a sense growing in us that Jesus has to be the most important person in our life and our relationship with him has to be the ultimate priority above all else. When we feel like that, we know we have received the call of grace. So, the question is not are you in church or not, but are you following Jesus or not? The call of grace produces real change.

The fellowship of grace

Mark 2:15-17 – ¹⁵ And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷ And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Right after Jesus tells Levi to follow him, Levi invites Jesus to his house for a party. Levi wants to celebrate his decision to follow Jesus. So, he invites his friends to his house for a great feast. And because Levi is a tax collector, all his friends are messed up people. They are tax collectors and sinners. Sinners are those who do not study and live up to the law of Moses. And when Levi invites Jesus to party at his house, Jesus doesn’t say, “Uhhhh I’m sorry bro. I am happy that you decided to follow me… but you don’t expect me to hang out with all your messed up friends, right? I am a teacher of the law. I have a reputation to keep.” No, he doesn’t. Jesus gladly accepts Levi’s invitation. Once again, this is scandalous. Because in that culture, to have a table fellowship with someone is a sign of acceptance and friendship. Just like today. We do not invite people over to our house for dinner if we do not like them. We only invite those whom we accept. Even more so in that culture. Sharing a table fellowship means sharing life. It is very intimate and personal. But Jesus has no problem whatsoever sharing meals with tax collectors and sinners. It tells us that fellowship with Jesus is never based on merit but grace. The scandal of this story is Jesus does not make moral repentance a precondition of his fellowship. Jesus does not expect tax collectors and sinners to repent first before he shares meals with them. But rather, Jesus loves and accepts tax collectors and sinners as they are. And it is the kindness of Jesus that produces repentance in them. Fellowship with Jesus is a fellowship of grace.

And when the Pharisees see what Jesus does, they are not happy at all. They do not like what they see. Who are the Pharisees? If you grew up in church, your mind automatically connects the word Pharisees with the bad guys in the story. None of us wants to be like them. But that’s not always the case. Back in Jesus’ days, Pharisee is a position of honour. They are extremely influential among the common people. People look up to them and want to be like them. They excelled in everything we admire spiritually. They wake up early to pray, they memorized scripture, they have solid theology, they are zealous for God, and they are committed to their faith. They obey all the laws of Moses, and they even created more laws to protect the laws. The Pharisees see themselves as God’s biggest supporters. They are the good guys. The problem with them is not that they are not good but that they think they are too good to have fellowship with the bad people.

So, they ask Jesus’ disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with those people? Doesn’t he know who they are? They are tax collectors and sinners. They are unclean. And if you associate with them, you also become unclean. This is unacceptable.” One writer says that this is probably the most arrogant question. Because the Pharisees have concluded that they themselves are not sinners. They concluded that they are different. But they could not be more wrong. Because in Jesus’ eyes, there are only two kinds of people: Jesus and sinners. If Jesus does not eat with sinners, he would be eating alone. The tax collectors and sinners know that they are sinners. But the Pharisees are blind to their sins. And this is the radical nature of grace. Those who think that they deserve grace do not get it and those who know that they do not deserve grace get it.

And pay attention to Jesus’ reply. This is one of the most important verses in the Bible. Mark 2:17 – And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” This is Jesus’ mission statement. And Jesus’ mission statement ought to be the church’s mission statement. Jesus did not come to save the righteous. He did not come to have fellowship with the good people. But Jesus came to save the messed up, broken, needy, sinful people. He did not come for those who are well but those who are sick. We understand this, right? We don’t need a doctor when we are healthy. We don’t make an appointment with our GP and when he asks, “What is wrong with you? How can I help?”, we say, “Nothing doc. I just miss you.” And then we pay $75 consultation fee. We need a doctor when we are sick. And this is why Jesus is having fellowship with the wrong crowd. Think about it. Let’s say that in the alternate universe, I am not a pastor but I am a doctor. And people don’t call me Ochi but Dochi, Doctor Ochi. And every day I spend most of my time with healthy people. What does that make me? Uchi, useless Ochi. A useless doctor. Why? Because a good doctor spends time with sick people. A good doctor finds joy in helping sick people get well. It’s what a good doctor does. And this is what Jesus does. Jesus spends time with sinners. Jesus is not repelled by sinners but he finds joy in making sinners righteous. And rather than getting infected by their sin, Jesus has the power to make them well. Rather than becoming unclean, Jesus’ fellowship makes them clean. Jesus does not fear being contaminated by sinners but instead, he contaminates sinners with grace and love. This is what Jesus came to do. He came not to call the righteous, but sinners. And listen. Jesus is not saying that the Pharisees are healthy and they do not need Jesus. But rather, the Pharisees are blind to their own sickness. They do not realize they need a doctor. And as long as they do not see the sickness of their sin, they will never see their need for Jesus.

So here are some important questions that the text is asking us today. Who are we sharing a table of fellowship with? Do we share meals with people who do not know Jesus? What are we doing to reach sinners? Are we friends of sinners? Or have we become too comfortable with church people that we no longer sit down and have meals with unbelievers so that we can share the gospel with them? Because here is my concern. For many of us, Jesus’ mission is not our mission. Many Christians and churches today are more like Pharisees than Jesus. We close the doors to sinners. The church has become Jesus’ fans club. We are so excited talking about Jesus, singing to Jesus, gazing on Jesus, playing with Jesus, and our excitement keeps us from doing the very thing Jesus wants us to do, to reach out to sinners. Don’t miss this. When our excitement for Jesus keeps us from Jesus’ mission then we have missed the gospel. We have become practical Pharisees. Our lives are filled with Christian activities with Christian people and we stay away from the non-Christians. We might loathe Pharisees with our mouths, but we live just like them. We separate ourselves from unbelievers rather than extend fellowship to them. But Jesus’ mission must be our mission. As those who have received the call of grace, we are to extend the fellowship of grace to sinners around us.

There is one beautiful story from Pastor Tony Campolo that stuck with me for years. Tony was at a conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. He had flown there from Philadelphia and there is a six-hour difference. He got jet-lagged. As a result, he was wide awake at 3:00 AM. And he was hungry. So, he walks out through the streets, and he finds a diner. He goes in, he sits down, and he’s eating. Right next to him, he can’t help but overhear a conversation between two women. It turns out they are prostitutes. One of them is named Agnes. Agnes says that tomorrow is her birthday, and the other person says, “Are you going to have a party?” She replies, “I’ve never had a birthday party in my life.” Not too long after they left, Tony turns to the owner of the diner, a guy named Harry, and says, “Do you know those women?” He says, “Sure. They are in here every night at the same time. I know them well.” Tony says, “When she comes in tomorrow night, let’s have a birthday party for her. I’ll go out and buy the decorations, and I’ll buy the cake. Do you know any of her friends? Can you invite them?” Harry says, “Sure, I know all of her friends.”

The next night at 2:30 AM they begin to decorate the diner, and they decorate the cake. All her friends start coming in. As Tony looks around, he suddenly realizes all her friends are prostitutes. There he is a Christian pastor in the middle of a diner filled with prostitutes. At 3:30 AM Agnes walks in, and everybody shouts, “Happy Birthday.” She is stunned. She cannot stand. She sits down and starts crying. She looks at the cake, but she is crying too much to blow the candles out. Harry blows out the candles and hands her a knife. As she looks at it, she says, “Do we really have to eat it right now? I live right down the block, and I want to keep the cake. Would it be okay if I just keep the cake?” Tony and Harry say, “Well, sure.” She says, “Wait a minute. I’ll be right back.” She jumps up and runs out. So now, Tony is standing in a restaurant full of prostitutes, and they don’t know what to do. It is an awkward pause, and then Tony says to everyone, “What don’t we pray for Agnes?” So Tony prays for Agnes. He prays for her salvation and for God to change her life. When Tony finishes, Harry leans over and says, “You never told me you are a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?” Tony answers, “I belong to the kind of church that throws birthday parties for whores at 3:30 AM.” Harry thinks for a second and then he says, “No, you don’t. There is no church like that. If there is, I want to join a church like that.” Listen RSI. We are called to be a church like that. Christianity is radically different from all other religions. All other religions say that we must be good enough to be accepted. Christianity says that no one is good enough to be accepted but Jesus came to seek those who are not good. Jesus did not wait for people to come to him. Jesus came to seek the lost. Jesus did not come to create Jesus’ fans club. He came to bring sinners into repentance. Jesus came for Agnes. And Jesus’ mission must be our mission.

The newness of grace

Mark 2:18-20 – ¹⁸ Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁹ And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰ The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

So apparently, Jesus loves to eat. He goes to many different places to eat. And because of it, people start to question him. “Jesus, why are you always eating? How come you are not fasting? The Pharisees are fasting. John’s disciples are fasting. But how come you and your disciples go from one feast to another feast?” Let me give you some context for this question. There are three main pillars of Judaism or the Jews’ religion. They are prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. In the Old Testament, the Jews are only required to fast once a year, during the Day of Atonement. But the Jews would also fast during a national crisis. It is an act of humbling themselves before God and asking God to be merciful. However, in the time of Jesus, fasting has become a symbol of true piety. If people are serious about God and their religious commitment, they would fast. And the Pharisees are at the top of the chain. Our church fasts once a week, every Saturday. Although hardly any of you do it. I can see it from your Instagram. But I still fast every Saturday. I am your pastor after all. I need to show more religious commitment than you. But the Pharisees are even better. They fast twice a week, Monday and Thursday. And when they fast, they try to look as gloomy as possible, so people know how much they are suffering for God. But Jesus and his disciples don’t fast at all. They keep feasting. The moral of the story is if you want to be like the Pharisees, start fasting. But if you want to be like Jesus, start feasting. Okay, that’s not true.

And Jesus’ answer to this question is very intriguing. Jesus answers the question of not fasting with the analogy of a wedding. Mark 2:19 – And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The way Jews do weddings is very different from us. When we talk about a wedding, we spend about one hour for the holy matrimony. And then another 3 hours for the reception. So, we spend about 4 hours celebrating a wedding. But not the Jews. The Jews know how to party. Their wedding celebrations last for seven days. And in those seven days, food and wine are abundant. If you are invited to their wedding, it is a dishonour to fast. You must feast and celebrate. Including the Pharisees. They do not fast during the seven days of a wedding celebration. So what Jesus is saying is that his time on earth is like a wedding. It is a time of joy and celebration, not a time of sorrow and sadness. And this image that Jesus uses is a provocative image to the Jews. Because the bridegroom of Israel is none other than YHWH himself. And Jesus takes that mantle of YHWH and refers to himself as the bridegroom. In other words, Jesus is saying that he is YHWH in flesh. He is the bridegroom that they have been waiting for. That is why they should not fast but celebrate the fact that he is in their midst. Some of you are thinking, “This is great. Now, I don’t have to join the 21 days of fasting. It’s time to party.” Jesus has nothing against fasting. There is time for fasting. He says that later when the bridegroom is taken away, then his disciples would fast. But not when he is still with them. When Jesus is still with them, it is a time of feasting and celebration. Christianity is not a grumpy religion; it is a joyful relationship.

In saying all this, Jesus is telling the Pharisees that they have now entered a new situation. With the coming of Jesus, the kingdom of God is at hand. And they are in a new era. And to emphasise his point, Jesus gives two parables to make the same point. Mark 2:21-22 – ²¹ No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. ²² And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.” The first parable is about a garment. If your old clothes are ripped and you need to fix it, you do not cut pieces out of your brand-new clothes and sew them into your old clothes. That’s dumb. If you do, your old clothes will look strange, and your new ones will be ruined. The second parable is about wineskins. In those days, people store wine in wineskins. And you do not put new wine into old wineskins. Because as wine ferments, it expands. When you put new wine into new wineskins, it is okay because the new wineskins still have room to stretch. But if you put new wine into old wineskins, the wineskins will explode, and both the wine and wineskins will be wasted.

What is the point of these parables? These parables are often misused. People like me often used these parables to introduce something new in the church. So, I would say, “Hey guys, we are making some changes in the church. Instead of singing, we are going to start rapping during the Praise and Worship. Instead of hymns, we are going Lecrae. Instead of Sunday worship, we are going to call it Sunday clubbing. Instead of saying “Amen, Amen,” we are going to say, “Ahe, Ahe.” And people say, “You can’t do that. It’s never done before.” And I reply, “You can’t put new wine into old wineskins.” It means that to do something new, we must get rid of the old system or mindset. These parables are often used to justify whatever new things that people want to do, including things that are not Biblical. They are certainly right in saying that Jesus is making the point that we can’t mix the new with the old. But Jesus is not making a general principle on introducing something new in the church. Jesus is saying something that is far more radical. He is saying to the Pharisees, “What I am doing is new and radical. And you can’t mix what I am doing with Judaism. You can’t put me in the box of your tradition. I do not come to bring an addition to your religion. I am bringing something new altogether. The moment you mix the new with the old, both are destroyed.” Can you see what Jesus is saying? To mix the new with the old is like trying to install Apple applications on Android. It’s not going to work well.

In other words, get this. Christianity is not something we add to our pre-existing life. Christianity is like an explosion that destroys the old to create something new. Jesus comes to bring us the gospel of grace. And we cannot mix and match the gospel with man-made religion. With the coming of Jesus, everything changes. An abundance of joy is available for every sinner who cries out for grace. We cannot mix grace and the law. There is no compromise. The moment we mix grace and the law, both are destroyed. It’s like adding a single drop of poison into a full cup of water. That’s it. A single drop. The moment they are mixed, the whole cup is destroyed. Salvation is either by grace alone or none at all. And if salvation is by grace alone, then even the worst of sinners have a reason to feast and celebrate. Jesus came to offer grace to sinners.

Let me close with this. There are no such things as free feast and celebration. Someone must pay for the cost of feast and celebration. Someone must pay the cost of grace for sinners. So, who paid the cost? Listen to what Jesus says in Mark 2:20 – The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. In a normal Jewish wedding, it is the guests who leave the bridegroom and the bride. But in this celebration, the bridegroom is taken away from the guests. The word for taken away indicates an act of violence. The bridegroom does not leave the celebration because the celebration is over. But rather he is forcibly removed from the celebration. What is happening? Jesus is alluding to what will happen to him at the cross. Jesus is fully aware that the cost of grace for sinners is his death at the cross. Jesus must pay the price of sins that we should have paid. Jesus must die in our place. Jesus must take on the wrath of God upon himself on our behalf. Jesus must die so that we may live. In order for the feast to continue, the bridegroom must first become a victim. But by the death of the bridegroom, he guarantees that we are accepted and righteous before God. The perfect bridegroom must die so that we may feast for eternity. This is the scandal of grace. The question is, have you received this scandalous grace? Let’s pray.

Discussion questions:

1. Do you find anything striking or encouraging about the call of Levi to follow Jesus? Share it with others.
2. When Levi hears the call of Jesus, he immediately rises and follows Jesus. What does it teach you about following Jesus?
3. Read Mark 2:17. What does this verse teach us about the heart and mission of Jesus? How is Jesus different from us?
4. What does it mean to not put new wine into old wineskins? Do you see the tendency in you to mix them up? Give examples.
5. Why does the bridegroom must be taken away from the feast?
6. We want to be a church and MC that welcome broken people. How can we better help and welcome one another and the broken people?