Jul 16 2023 The Calling of Sinners

The Calling of St. Matthew:

Jesus on the right – and like Matthew is saying – Who, me?

We are going to look, in Mark, at the calling of Levi.

He is a tax collector – and we see someone stunned – for a popular Jewish Rabbi (teacher – not a title or job) – but to even approach a tax collector was unheard of in this world. And Jesus is saying – Come, and be my disciple.

Mark 2:14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth.

Levi – most believe that Levi and Matthew are one and the same – but it is debated. Most likely, it is like Simon/Peter – to have 2 (maybe 3/Cephas) names. But we won’t get into that here.

"Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. 15 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. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 17 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."

STOP.

Let’s break it down and look at these and think about and talk about this story and what it means and how it relates to us. I am convinced that I have talked a lot about tax collectors – and what it meant to them – Tax collectors were viewed as some of the worst people in Israel. Mark calls him Levi – and that is important – because he is a Levite. That would mean, his family or he – might be called to be a priest in the Temple – to hold this important role in the community of faith. For tax collectors - being despised – as collaborating with Rome to gather wealth – the worst of the worst – the most despised of all.

Mark adds another layer to this – Jesus goes to Levi’s house for a banquet – and there are not only tax collectors but SINNERS as well – the most unclean people and Jesus is just hanging around with them. The Pharisees would have avoided them at all costs. Jesus welcomes and encourages even the worst of sinners.

These were viewed as a virus – causing you to become infected.

Jesus viewed Himself as the cure to the virus.

The Pharisees were obsessed with holiness. That was not a bad thing – as prior unholiness had caused so much judgment from God. And here they are, under Roman oppression for their lack of holiness.

They have their reasons – but they were obsessed with selective holiness! And Jesus will tell them that they have neglected some of the most important aspects of unholiness that they have missed.

We have talked about this a lot over the past 32 years!

14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. 15 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 Jesus welcomes tax collectors and sinners – what happened? They become disciples! He not only welcomes, receives them – but He calls them into discipleship. Those He accepts and welcomes – He calls. We will focus on the calling of discipleship.

The language of discipleship – they saw life with God as a journey – as a walk – walking together – He is calling them to a new way of life when He calls them into discipleship.

Now, an infamous Christian leader/pastor put together a great video series – Pneuma – very creative and clever – Rob Bell – but then he wrote a book and became controversial – and Rob Bell was one of the first to bring into focus ancient culture and how they lived.

One of the first – was called DUST – being clothed in the dust of the rabbi – following so close to the rabbi that the dust would cover the disciple.

In our language – something that may help =- and this is borrowed and retweaked – When Jesus calls us – it is into relationship with Him and that relationship transforms us into the image of Jesus so that we can love and serve both God and people.

That is what we are being called into. That is what Jesus is welcoming us into.

That is what He is doing with Levi. Now, it is a process, not a formula or a program – and that is really important. We want to turn discipleship into a church program, but it is a God process. Because it is personal – what it looks like will be different for all. There is not a specific timeline or step by step formula.

There is nothing wrong with a discipleship program in a church – but recognize that it is a process that is unique for each person.

We need to connect Jesus welcoming and calling people – that it begins this process.

That process – that timeframe is different for everyone. How it looks will be different.

This process for Levi resulted in leaving the tax booth and a lucrative career! What if discipleship meant you had to leave your job? That doesn’t happen to everyone – and it shows that we are unique – but all of us have some things to leave behind – not just stuff, but attitudes, habits, mindsets – that when we are called to follow Jesus – we must leave.

Like the disciples – what about us – look at all we left for you…

We don’t get super-legalistic about this – we are not called out of the world, but to not be of this world.

So, I will lay out a few general stages or seasons (note: not steps – this is not formulaic) that we must go through for it to be effective in our lives.

First – and I won’t have a verse for everything – but how it begins – there is a new encounter with God. A new revelation of God in our lives. That encounter can be quiet and gradual – or dramatic and sudden. But God works differently in everyone’s lives. It is just as good if a person grows up in a Christian family and gradually believes and understands – but somehow, God has to reveal Himself in a new way. We must come to a new understanding of the good news – the Gospel – if we are to be welcomed and called.

Second – it may happen at the same time or close thereafter – we have a fresh encounter with God – and you have to have a fresh encounter with your true self. Here is what I mean – you must see yourself for who you are. Isaiah 6:5 – a vision – I saw the Lord – the angels cried holy – holy – holy – is the Lord! He has this new encounter – vision of God. – And I am a man of unclean lips.

SO, he has a true encounter with himself – this is who I am.

There is a guy out fishing – doesn’t catch a thing – and Jesus says – throw the net on the other side – and he realizes it is Jesus – so he’d better listen…. And the nets are full – and Peter says – depart from me, for I am a sinful man! He has a new revelation of Jesus and a new revelation of himself.

When Jesus calls a person, they always recognize something that is not right – something that is not as it should be – it happens to all of us.

Third – season – reorientation – reconstruction – reformation – new formation – in the turning away when we recognized – this ought not to be, there must also be a turning towards. Attitudes, behaviors, habits – these must be turned away from the ones that don’t look like Jesus and turn TO the ones that do look like Jesus.

There is a Jesus-type of reconstruction. There is a pharisee type of reconstruction. Pharisee – change the outside. Jesus way – change the heart – and that changes the outside.

The heart of God – we find in Scripture – we see this focus in the Sermon on the Mount – you have heard it said, you shall not murder (that is the regulation) – but I say – do not be angry – it is the same

Do not insult – those are behaviors – the same – and He takes it to the heart – not just the action.

Fourth – and all this builds in our lives – in this process – God’s ultimate goal is to create within us a new identity. This is all to form us into a new person. Identity – a new ‘worship’ – Identity is tied to our worship! It is always tied to our worship – WHO and WHAT we worship is foundational to our identity. Everyone worships something or someone – and your identity is found in what you worship.

When Jesus calls us – He deconstructs our identity – and then He reconstructs it.

We have all developed an identity.

This is over-simplified – I’m not trying to be scientific with this – but we begin this identity process as humans – and we all have a given identity. When you were named – you were given an identity – and then they, or your family – continued to give you an identity. Through shared values and experiences, our community gives us an identity. Some good – some not so much.

Second – that identity that develops in us – eventually – that collides into our feelings and experience.

How we feel about ourselves, and how we experience the world – when those things collide, sometimes they contradict the one we have been given – and can be at odds. Sometimes they agree – but other times, they are at odds – conflict – that you crash into one another.

And then these two come together – and in them, we create our identity for ourselves. It is like we all have our own brand.

When we are welcomed and called by Jesus, we go through a process that changes our identity. First, that identity is given by God, what He says and what He has done for us.

Our true identity begins in Genesis 1:26-28 = Male and female, created in the image of God. So, the core of our identity – we are created in His image.

Paul – if then, you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Do not set your minds on the things of earth – for you have died and your life is hidden in Christ with God.

Who are you? That is hidden with Christ in God.

And then – as God transforms us in that – we experience this identity and feel it in our souls and hearts through the working of the Holy Spirit.

It is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me.

Then, as we are transformed – if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation – a whole new existence in Christ.

This new creation is directly connected with the death and resurrection of Jesus – and our participation in that death and resurrection. When Jesus calls us – there are things we must die to and He will raise us up.

Mark 2:16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 17 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."

IT is not the healthy who need a doctor – all who come to Jesus are sick. No one comes to Jesus healthy. They don’t get healthy until they are called. That is when the health begins.

I have not come to call the righteous. All who come to Jesus are sinners. No non-sinners come to Jesus. Jesus accepts no-non-sinners nor healthy people.

As we do this – this is our life now – to welcome, accept people – the sinners and tax collectors – but we must not neglect to call them to discipleship. In doing that – for some, it will be sudden and dramatic. For others – it will be gradual. And we need to learn to adjust ourselves to the unique ways in which God does this in others’ lives.