Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome again to Coronavirus, Crown of Thorns. We're in the third of 3 wonderful miracles, and encounters that Jesus has with people. And this time, it's with a man called Levi. Verse 13 of Mark chapter 2. Once again, Jesus went out beside the lake.

A large crowd came to him and he began to teach them. As he walked along, he saw a Levi son of healthiest, sitting at the tax collector's booth. Follow me, Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. 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.

When the teachers of the law, who were Farases, saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors. They asked his disciples, why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? On hearing this, Jesus said to them, it is not the healthy you need a doctor, but those who are ill. I've not come to call the righteous but sinners. 1 of the things with these stories is that we're we're traveling back into to quite an ancient world.

And and when we read it, we think, oh, that's interesting, you know, Jesus has gone to be with a leper and there's a paralyzed man and He's touching sick people, then he's with tax collectors, and it's all very interesting. But and and some of the force of what is actually happening here is lost on us. You know, for Jesus to touch a leper, as we saw a few days ago, was an incredible thing to have done given the uncleanness and the kind of social pariahs that they were. And and, you know, just as much so for him to call a tax collector, because tax collectors are not popular in any age, darling. And, you know, when you can avoid them, it it's good.

But In this time, they were particularly despised, particularly if you were a due, because they were seen to be sell out you know, they were working for the romans, they were working for the gentiles, they were taxing people on behalf of a pagan state. And there's lots of things written about them that actually they they weren't very honest characters, you know, that often they would be overcharging people pocketing some for themselves or so so these these were really despised people who, who, if you could avoid them, then it would be good to do that. And So when Jesus calls this tax collector, we're supposed to think, what is he doing with them? You know, and that's that's where we begin here. Yes.

And I think it is it is worth saying that the 3 stories that we've seen this week. They do actually go together, and this is 1 of Mark's classic sandwiches, as they're called. And I love it when you put it together, because it starts with the leper in that first story of the leper coming to Jesus. And he says, if you are willing, you can be clean. And then Jesus answered, I am willing, be clean.

And then with the second story of the paralyzed man who was let down in the roof, He says, son, your sins are forgiven. That's the sort of meat in the sandwich of the story. And then this 1, he says to another 1 who's considered an outcast and a sinner follow me. And if you put those things together, that is the Christian face. It's If you're willing, you can make me clean Jesus.

Yeah. Yep. I'm willing, be clean. Son your sins are forgiven -- Yeah. -- follow me.

Yeah. And you've got that wonderful -- It is. Yeah. -- picture of what it is to be a Christian. Yeah.

He's willing to make us clean. He's able to make us clean. Our sins are forgiven, and we follow him. And that is why he's come. He says, isn't he at the end there?

And again, there's this authority, isn't behind his words, though, and we saw this when he summoned the first disciples to follow him. You know, we're told that immediately, they dropped their nets and left him. Immediately, they left their dad in the boat and went after him. There's something authoritative about Jesus' words. Not not in a dictator's sense, you know, not a sort of harsh demanding, but there's there's a compassion and integrity and authority to what Jesus is saying.

He he's come to embrace the un unembrasable, hasn't he? And to call them, as you say, to forgiveness of sins and to a new life with Christ. And that that's why that sandwich, you said, is is really lovely because Jesus doesn't just forgive our sins and then send us back into our normal lives. You know, as you were, he he actually calls us to forgiveness of sins, but then to a new life. Where we where we we go after him and are about his work.

And and that's what what we see here. And then and then, you know, there's this banquet isn't there in 15. Verse 15. Jesus is having dinner at Levi's house. And, again, the tax collectors Sorry, the with the tax collectors and sinners.

And again, the teachers of the law of the Pharisees somehow following around. You know, they they love to hate it, but they they can't They love the paparazzi. Yeah. They are. Yeah.

Yeah. Just waiting for him to slip up. And then they grumble it. Why is he eating tax collectors and sinners. No grandma worth his salt would be anywhere near these people.

Just look at them. There's prostitutes tax collectors, lepers. This is a disgusting irreligious bunch, you know, he should be condemning them. But no, but that in itself is a picture. Of what God wants.

Yeah. So we go back to what we were thinking about with the leper, who now can go, he's fulfilled the law of Moses, He can go into the temple or the tabernacle in the presence of God. And partly, what you did there was to eat with God -- Yes. -- sacrifice. And so you've got you've got Jesus here having table, fellowship, friendship, with these people because he's cleansed them.

So Christians aren't perfect little people. They're cleansed people. They're forgiven people. And then Jesus comes out with that wonderful thing at the end there in verse 17, where he describes really what he's what he's come to do. And I think this is terrific because he says, it's not healthy you need a doctor, but those who are ill.

I've not come to call the righteous but sinners. You wouldn't go to a doctor you wouldn't queue up at the doctor's surgery or A and E, and the doctor comes out and you say, I just wanna say that I'm perfectly alright. I'm doing well. I'm pretty healthy. It's a this isn't for you.

Yeah. This is for people that are ill and broken and get hurt and, you know, in an accident. And so Jesus is saying, I've come, if you're broken, if you're sinful, if you're a failure, if you feel like a leper, he's come for you. That's what a doctor's form. And as you say, that's who he's come to call.

And And and therefore, you know, that it's, you know, what is what is the worst situation to be in? You know, is it is it to actually be aware of your sin, that you have failed God, that you are unclean, that you've made a mess, or is it to believe that you're a good person? You know, and the greater curse is actually to be under the impression that you are good enough without God. Mhmm. You know, that you are religious enough.

Your life is generally a comparison to others pretty good, and therefore, I don't need to go to Jesus. So Christianity is often Not so much these days, but I think it used to be caricature, you know, It's only for people who can't face reality. You know, it's only for people who are on a guilt trip. It's only for people who need a crutch, you know, because they're too weak to walk. And the answer is, yeah.

Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. It is. Yeah.

I am too weak. I do need a savior. What about you? Oh, yeah. You don't know.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You think you're good enough without God? Well, no.

That's that's the worst place to be. Yeah.