Mark 2:13–17
The righteous King calls sinners to repentance and fellowship.
13 He went out again by the seaside. All the multitude came to him, and he taught them.
14 As he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he arose and followed him.
15 He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners sat down with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many, and they followed him.
16 The scribes and the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
The righteous King calls sinners to repentance and fellowship.
To reveal that Jesus calls sinners into discipleship and defines His mission as merciful restoration.
This passage continues the conflict cycle begun in 2:1–12. Authority to forgive now extends into radical inclusion, intensifying scribal opposition.
Tax collectors were agents of Roman authority and widely despised for corruption and collaboration. Table fellowship signified acceptance and covenant solidarity in Jewish culture.
The Son of Man Has Authority: Forgiveness, Fellowship, and Lordship
Jesus, the Son of Man, has authority to forgive sinners, call the despised, define true fellowship, fulfill religious longing, and rule even over the Sabbath.