Calling All Sinners! (Mark 2:13-17)

Following Jesus: The Gospel According to Mark / “Calling All Sinners”

January 29, 2023

Mark 2:13-17

Study Questions

1. Read Mark 2:13-14. What do we know about Levi (Matthew)? Why do you think Jesus chose Levi to be one of His followers? Who would be the equivalent of a tax collector in our society today?

2. Read Mark 2:15-16. Why were people categorized as ‘sinners’ and ‘tax-collectors’? What made them different in the eyes of the Pharisees? How do we as Christians today tend to do the same?

3. How did Jesus view Levi’s guests? What can we learn from Jesus as we follow Him by following His example? Read Mark 2:17. Who were the ‘healthy’? Who were the ‘sick’? What was Jesus really saying in this statement? Explain what Jesus meant by “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” See also: Luke 19:10; John 3:17.

4. How can we follow Christ’s example with our unsaved friends today? Did Jesus accept their ‘sinful’ behavior? What was His purpose in eating and spending time with them?

5. As you hang out with your non-Christian friends, how do you not compromise your testimony as a Christ-follower and yet not be judgmental or self-righteous?

6. What is the Lord Jesus calling you to do this week in light of this passage?