Mark 2:13-17 - The King who Dines with Sinners!

Imagine being invited to dine with a dignitary—a man of great reputation and authority. You can picture the extravagant setting, the finest silverware, and the pressure to conduct yourself with the utmost etiquette. You would rehearse your words, mindful of every detail, hoping to make a good impression. Now, contrast that with a different kind of invitation—a dinner with Jesus. Unlike earthly dignitaries, Jesus does not seek the powerful, the elite, or the morally upright. Instead, He welcomes sinners, the broken, and the outcasts. In Mark 2, we see a Savior who dines with those deemed unworthy, proving that He did not come for the self-righteous but for sinners in need of grace.

Jesus’ invitation to sinners is powerfully displayed in His calling of Levi, a tax collector—one of the most despised figures in Jewish society. Tax collectors were known for extortion and collaboration with Rome, making Levi an unlikely candidate for discipleship. Yet, Jesus saw him, called him, and transformed him. Levi’s response was immediate—he left everything behind and followed Christ. This moment is a striking reminder that Jesus does not call the “clean” or the morally upright; He calls sinners. No past is too corrupt, no failure too great for the grace of Christ. Just as Jesus pursued Levi, He still seeks sinners today, calling them to leave their old lives and follow Him.

Levi’s response did not end with following Jesus; he opened his home and hosted a feast in Jesus’ honor, inviting other tax collectors and sinners to meet Him. This act reveals something profound—salvation produces celebration and evangelism. But while sinners rejoiced, the Pharisees grumbled. Their legalistic hearts could not comprehend why Jesus would associate with the unclean. Jesus’ response was clear: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” The irony is that the Pharisees, in their pride, remained outside the feast, while those who recognized their need found themselves at the table with Christ. How often do we, like the Pharisees, withhold grace, forgetting that we too were once sinners in need of saving?

Jesus not only dined with sinners—He died for them. The feast at Levi’s house was a small glimpse of the greater feast to come, where sinners from every nation will dine with the King. But before that final banquet, Jesus would drink the cup of God’s wrath alone, taking upon Himself the punishment that sinners deserve. His heart for sinners is fully revealed in the cross, where He bore our guilt so that we might be seated at His table. The invitation stands today: Will you come to Jesus in repentance, finding forgiveness in Him? And if you already have, do you extend the same invitation to others? May we, like Levi, joyfully bring sinners to the table, knowing that Jesus welcomes them still.

Main Point – Because Jesus relates with sinners, sinners are welcome at his table!

Outline of the sermon – 2 ways Jesus relates to sinners…

1. Jesus calls sinner to follow him
2. Jesus invites sinners to dine with him