Mark Chapter 2 Verses 13 – 14

• Who was the most controversial character in Jesus’ crew? Our mind immediately goes to Judas doesn’t it? But not so. It was Levi. Also known as Matthew. He was worse than Rome to the Jews. He was a Jew that had sided with the enemy of Israel and was collecting tribute from his own people to their most hated oppressor, Caesar. And what’s more, he had to make a living. Tax collectors were not paid by the Roman Empire. They were expected to fend for themselves by overcharging…

• So the tax per person for that period of time could have been five denarius, he would charge six…so that he would make a living. And he did so with the authority of Rome and with the muscle of Rome. Now we have no indication of this about Matthew but we certainly can see how that could become quite lucrative to the covetous collector. Tax requirement is five, I’m going to demand ten from everyone so that I can go get that new Bugatti next time I visit Rome (hey, it’s Italian).

• And so the tax collectors were a hated bunch. Very hated. They were the reason why some kids went without shoes. They were the reason way necessary roof leaks went unattended. They were the reason why some folks couldn’t afford to purchase unblemished lambs to take to the High Priest at Passover to offer for the sins of their families as was the Levitical commandment…and so they were worse than criminals. In the eyes of many, they were the very problem that oppressed their days, and specifically Matthew, being a Jew was no doubt viewed as the primary problem of Israel. One of their own, siding with the enemy…

• Now, how would you feel if you were hated like that? What a horrible existence. Getting out of bed everyday…terrible. Couldn’t go home at Hanukah…family didn’t want you around…couldn’t go to the temple ever…people would scream and stone you…couldn’t go to the market and spend the money you made…no one would sell to you…never getting invited to any bar mitzvahs…I believe Matthew hated Matthew…I can relate to that…

• We’re not told how Matthew got into this line of work but I bet he just slipped into it…he didn’t grow up wanting to become this…it just somehow happened…and here he sat, hated by everyone and hated by himself…but then Jesus comes by…and He says something wonderful…”Reset, man…”

• Wait, I thought He said “follow Me?” Well He did…mostly. What do you mean mostly? Well Jesus uses a wondrous word here in the Greek for “follow.” He see’s Matthew…Jesus sees right into Matthew’s malfunctioning heart man…his pain and his regret…his trap that he has set for himself that he’s screaming in…and He says “akoloutheo” Me.

• This word, used 92 times in the Bible…in 91 places is translated, “follow.” But in one place in the Bible…its alternate translation is used…”reach.”

• Matthew had been praying for years no doubt. Desperate, decaying, hated and hating who he had become and Jesus says, “Son, reach for me…” Man I love that. That implies risk man…that implies courage. That implies responsibility and release…”just reach for Me.” And something strikes a chord in Matthew’s heart…he’s been looking forever it seems for the right key that will open the door to his freedom from the life that he was so weary of…and so Mark tells us he rose…he reconstructed in the Greek…and he reached for Jesus…

• And from that call from God and that response from Matt…from then on, he was with Jesus…free.

Mark Chapter 2 Verse 15

• Where did they come from? DUH, Matthew! No doubt as he walked with Jesus he cried out to them! Come along! “No we’re busy…” “Ok then, my house tonight! 6pm! Matzah and falafel! Oh yea! So they came!

Mark Chapter 2 Verse 16

• See? No one ever raised issue about Judas, right? Matthew was the controversial one…

Mark Chapter 2 Verse 17

• And so there’s they key man…the key that many are missing…that I was missing for years. That you may be missing even now…Jesus is answering these scribes and Pharisees from their own point of view. You see they assumed themselves righteous…they see no need for help…no desire to be saved…and so they do not reach.

• The duty of the physician is to help the sick and the cure is found here in verse 17…first, hear the call of the Lord upon your heart and second to repent…that is the reach man…and it doesn’t matter how short or how long you have been in the Lord…everyday, reach is needed. Jesus said of His followers, take up your cross daily and reach for Me…

Mark Chapter 2 Verses 18 – 20

• So the disciples of John the Baptist were fasting, right? Well, that’s sort of what Mark says here…he says the disciples of John AND of the Pharisees…see that?   John baptized with water you see, for the remission of sins, but Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit, unto freedom and unto life…and so Mark lumps John’s disciples in with the Pharisee’s disciples why? Because of the shared focus on what one ought to do…you see religion says “do,” relationship with Jesus says, “done.”

• There are folks today that still preach a message of religion…you must be baptized to be saved…John the Baptist would put a jar of honey in a sock and bust them over they head today if he heard that talking about “homie don’t play that!” He was the forerunner, the precursor…the voice crying in the wilderness, make straight the path for the Lord…and then when the Lord came on the scene…John said, “time for me to go…I must decrease and He must increase..”

• What are these disciples doing…following John still? Notice, Jesus separates them from the friends of the bridegroom…that is a stern warning for anyone today who remains a disciple of John the Baptist and not a disciple of Christ…

• And this bit about fasting…notice Jesus says they don’t fast now because I am with them…but when I am taken, they will fast in those days…So there is great place for fasting in our walks with the Lord today. Jesus implies that…by this statement He expects that…and what is fasting? It is you exercising your deliberate power over your flesh…

• We think we can’t. We think the situation hurts too much…what they’ve done…too much…not true. The capacity and capability of the strength of your spirit within you is infinitely more than your finite flesh and we have to teach ourselves that…and fasting gets it done man…The flesh wars with the spirit and so often the flesh prevails because we are so faithful to it…3 square meals a day with a shake in between…yet we tend to be lazy in terms of feeding the spirit…spending time in the word, communing with God, talking with God…and so when it comes game time…when the enemy yells “game on…” we have not the strength to roll out man…

• And so fasting deprives the flesh completely but we are always feeding…always…we are consumers…and so when the flesh is not being fed, guess what is…you got it…you and I are growing more and more desperate in the flesh and acute to the things of the spirit so that when testing comes…dumb dirty flesh, you’re powerless and weak…see what I’m saying? And that type of spiritual surge prepares you for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit and fresh work…Jesus continues…

Mark Chapter 2 Verses 21 – 22

• Your mom every sow patches onto your jeans? Mine did! How humiliating…but what were those patches? Pre-shrunk right!? And where were they sown? On the inside of the pant leg, right!? Interesting…Jesus also speaks of getting rid of the thing all together…forget the patch, get a new wineskin all together…sometimes you just need a patch but make sure that patch is sown in wisdom…straight out the word of God…and sometimes you just need to take that fresh work that God is wanting to do and meet it with a reset container…namely your heart…

Mark Chapter 2 Verses 23 – 24

• Big no-no here…harvesting on the Sabbath…”harvesting, but He’s simply picking the heads as He walks by…” Yes but to the religious, the specks are humongous…the little things become the big things and the real big things are never accomplished…Proverbs 25 says that it is the glory of God to overlook a matter…to Passover the offense and to love…but these folks are not only accusing, they seem to be following also…interesting…

Mark Chapter 2 Verses 25 – 28

• David, whom they revered as their king and their example of righteousness, when fleeing from Saul, when he didn’t have to, when he could have taken him out but didn’t because he loved God…ran to the house of God and was sick with hunger so the high priest in 1 Samuel 21, gave him and his men the consecrated bread and yet we know that David went on to secure the throne under the blessing of God…

• You see Jesus is making a point…that these religious nuts have made the whole thing about themselves and twisted the Word of God so that it’s no longer about God’s provision for His children…

• That’s what this whole thing is about man…this scene, the scenes we’ve looked at today, the scene’s that Mark has walked us through in the past weeks…the fact that God has given us His all…all summed up in this…the Son of Man is Lord…not for our restriction but for our rest…all that’s required? REACH!!!