And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples—for there were many who followed him.
Moving from the Gospel of Matthew to Mark is jarring to me. Matthew was trying to explain things to his people, to good people of God who did not know Jesus. He explained things from the perspective of someone who know the law to others who knew the law, and trying to explain things new, from the old context. Mark, on the other hand is largely addressing to non-Jews who don’t have the same deep foundation in the law. He’s trying to engage them in storytelling. And I must admit his storytelling sounds like the that of a second grader. And then I went here, and then I did this. And then we went there. (Imagine a breathy, excited child retelling a story, complete with missing bits, and lots of excitement). Jarring, compared to Matthew.
And then we were in Mark. Within the first chapter alone, we learn of John the Baptizer, Jesus is baptized, Jesus is tempted in the wilderness, Jesus heals many, and starts gathering his disciples. Mark packs a lot in, with a sense of urgency that keeps the story moving along at a fast pace.
In the second chapter, he calls Levi the tax collector, later known as Matthew. That night, Jesus as dinner at Levi’s home, which is filled with other tax collectors and sinners. When the scribes of the Pharisees saw this, they questioned why Jesus was surrounded by these sinners. I love this. I love that Levi had a house full of sinners and tax collectors. I love that Jesus had dinner with them, and I love that the scribes questioned Jesus’ actions.
Of course, Jesus had a great answer. Do the healthy need a physician? I’ve come to call not the righteous, but sinners. (Imagine Jesus thumbing his nose at them after this, or concluding with a “so there”).
What does this say about us? Yes, I know we’re all sinners in the cosmic sense, but as people of faith, I wonder if we’re closer to the righteous in Jesus’ story. I come to call not the righteous, but sinners. Don’t we do the right things, try to help others in an attempt to be righteous? If given the choice between the insiders vs. outsiders, those who do the right things vs. those who don’t, righteous vs. sinners, wouldn’t we want to fall in the former category?
Or putting it another way, aren’t there people we know who aren’t in whatever category we put ourselves? What about the unchurched, the atheists, addicts, fanatical religious zealots of any stripe, abusers, homeless? If we were to have a dinner party, who would we invite? The well-heeled, or the shoeless?
I want to be the person who suppers with the sinners. I’m not sure how to do that yet, but I’m working on it. This morning, I’m thinking about next summer, when the weather is nice to be outside, and dining with the tax collectors and sinners.
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