Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew)

Meditations of the Gospel of Mark

August 3, 2020

Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew)

When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Mark 2:17

Read: Mark 2: 13-17

Matthew (Levi) invited Jesus and Jesus’ friends to dinner. Mark said Jesus’ friends included, “many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.)” (verse 15)

The Pharisees asked Jesus’ disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”

That incident reminded me of a passage in Brennan Manning’s memoir, All is Grace. Brennan is the author of books such as, The Ragamuffin Gospel and Abba’s Child, and he has had a profound influence on my understanding of God’s grace. Brennan had struggled with an addiction to alcohol most of his adult life. He was asked how it was possible that someone who has had such powerful encounters with God’s grace could relapse.

His response was simple; “These things happen.”

Brennan reminds me the most difficult part of being a follower of Jesus is remembering that God loves us unconditionally, just as we are, not as we should be. Because no one is as they should be.

My Takeaway: It is so much easier to accept grace than it is to extend grace. As for me, I am so thankful to be included among the scum dining with Jesus, and may I never forget it.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.