◆“Levi (the one bound in loyalty) became Levi (the one truly faithful)” (Mark 2:13–17) August 31, 2025

Today, I would like to listen to God by focusing on several scenes from the passage we read. The characters here are Jesus and His disciples, Levi the son of Alphaeus, the crowds, the many tax collectors and outcasts (sinners), and the Pharisaic scribes.

The first thing we notice is this: Jesus does not turn people away. Verse 13 tells us that all the crowds came to Him. And it says that He taught them. In Scripture, the word “crowd” often carries a negative nuance. These were people seeking healing from illness, spectators wanting to see miracles, or those who, after Jesus fed the five thousand, immediately tried to make Him king. In other words, people seeking their own advantage—looking for a leader who would give them economic benefits, or who would overthrow Roman rule as a political or military leader.

But Jesus did not drive the crowds away. As John 2:24–25 says, “But Jesus did not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people… he knew what was in each person.” Though He knew the uncertainty and instability of the human heart, He still looked for disciples to arise from among them.

Here in Mark, the crowds came near to Jesus. Yet at the same time, Jesus Himself is the One who draws near to people. Verse 14 tells us, “As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth” and spoke to him.

It was “as He passed by.” Yet it was no mere accident. At that moment, He noticed Levi, He approached him, and He spoke. The name Levi means “to be joined” or “to be faithful to something.”

Tax collectors, however, were people enslaved to money. They collected more tax than required by Rome, keeping the difference for themselves. For this, they were despised. They lived with the attitude: “As long as I get money, I don’t care if I am hated.” In other words, Levi was a man bound to money, faithful only to it.

The description that he was “sitting” at the tax booth reminds us of Psalm 1:1: “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of scoffers.” The verbs “walk,” “stand,” and “sit” show a process of sinking deeper into a way of life. Levi sitting at the booth paints a picture of one deeply immersed in a way of life tied to money.

But Jesus did not look down on him as others did. He did not despise him as human trash. Instead, it says that Jesus “saw” him. He saw Levi as he was, and then said, astonishingly, “Follow Me.”

At that time, Levi was bound to money. But Jesus saw his faithfulness, his single-mindedness, as something that could be redirected for great use if turned toward the right purpose. This is how Jesus looks at people. And He looks at you in the same way.

Perhaps you have traits you consider flaws—things you think must be corrected. Yet sometimes it is only a matter of direction. Through Jesus, those very traits can be transformed, redirected, and used for God’s purposes.

Levi responded. He chose to follow Jesus. He desired to be joined to Him. He longed to be faithful to Jesus. And the very first thing he did was to invite Jesus, His disciples, and many tax collectors and sinners into his home for a banquet. He paid for it himself. Before, he may have loved being treated to meals, but likely had no habit of treating others—it cost money, after all. And hosting so many people would require considerable expense. Here we see Levi freed from his old attachment to money, from his old loyalty to wealth.

Levi had truly repented—turned around—and made a wholehearted decision to follow Jesus.

But whenever someone decides to follow Christ—whether by confessing sin, receiving Him as Savior, choosing to obey Him as Lord, receiving baptism, or beginning a life in the church—there will always be opposition. Not everyone will rejoice. Some may merely tease, which is harmless enough, but others may deny your decision, try to pull you back, or even threaten you.

When I became a Christian at age 26, many coworkers and supervisors told me that going to church on Sunday was a waste—that Sunday should be for rest after a hard week. When I dedicated my life to ministry, my son was only three months old. People told me that quitting my job to enter seminary was like choosing to ruin my life. But now I see, just as I believed then, that Jesus is faithful. As Romans 10:11 says, “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”

Let us return to Levi’s story. The ones who opposed him then were the Pharisaic scribes—the representatives of common sense and social norms. They criticized Levi, but in truth their accusation was aimed at Jesus. They said to His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” In other words, “It is wrong to allow someone like Levi to follow.”

Jesus answered in verse 17:
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The sick need a doctor. That is true. Healthy people do not go to the physician. Here, “the sick” means those who need forgiveness and salvation. Those who know their sin seek forgiveness and salvation. But people often try to make themselves into their own gods, pursuing what they want—possessions, status, recognition—believing these will bring happiness. In Genesis language, they try to decide for themselves what is good and evil.

But in reality, only God knows what is truly good. And He desires to give it. Yet humans say, “No, God, You don’t need to tell me. I will decide.” That was Levi before he met Jesus.

But when someone realizes that this is an upside-down way of life, they come to the Doctor—they come to Jesus. And He says, “The righteous do not need a doctor.”

Yet Romans 3:10 reminds us: “There is no one righteous, not even one… there is no one who does good.” In truth, everyone is sick. Everyone is a sinner.

And Jesus is the Friend of sinners, the Doctor, the One who forgives and sets free.

Perhaps you find yourself among the crowd. Yet Jesus is speaking to you. Perhaps you are like Levi. You may be hearing His call to be set free from the things that once bound you, to be released from old attachments, and to be joined instead to Jesus. What word are you hearing today? Jesus is speaking to you. Let us respond to His call.

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Sermon script modified based on proofreading and translation with ChatGPT.