Bible Text: Mark 2 | Preacher: Rev. Dr. Lou Saldiveri | Series: Sunday Morning Worship

— Pastor Lou’s Notes —

Intro: It seems that almost every day in the news, someone is involved in another scandal. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary define the ward scandal as:
1a : discredit brought upon religion by unseemly conduct in a religious person
b : conduct that causes or encourages a lapse of faith or of religious obedience in another
2: loss of or damage to reputation caused by actual or apparent violation of morality or propriety : disgrace

When legalism dominates a religion, it becomes a dysfunctional system. When someone comes into that legalistic system and corrects it, they can be viewed as being scandalous by the established system. Therefore, this creates great conflict.

One of the things that I appreciate about Jesus was that He was viewed a scandalous rebel by the established legalistic religious system. This passage in Mark 2:13-17 gives us incredible insight of the scandal of the cross, God’s love, and God’s grace. All of this is revealed through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Permit me to give you some background on this passage. Levi was a Jew. He was employed by Herod Antipas’ government to collect taxes from his fellow Jews. Roman would tell Levi how much to collect from each person and family. He could charge them more and keep the difference. Needles to say, Levi was a hated man among the Jews.

Well Jesus and Levi have an encounter. After that encounter, can you guess who’s coming to dinner?

1. Jesus Calls Sin Sick People Who Want to Get Well e.g. Scandalous Grace

1. We all suffer from a terminal disease called sin
2. Sin pollutes every aspect of our being
3. The wages of sin is spiritual death
4. We need the Great Physician
5. Jesus wanted the person no one else wanted

1. Jesus offered friendship and more
2. Jesus invited Matthew to walk the same road as Him
3. People need Jesus
2. Religious Legalistic People See Themselves as Better Than Everyone Else

1. Pride
2. Power
3. Self-Righteousness
4. Self decieved
3. Jesus Loved to Be With Sinners e.g. Scandalous Love and Grace

1. Jesus wants to hang around with you

1. Jesus hug around with the people of the land

1. These were Jews who did not practice all the rules and regulations of the Pharasees
2. Jesus wants fellowship with you
3. Jesus wants you to have a dynamic relationship with Him by faith
4. Matthew left a lot behind

1. Matthew had a clean heart now
2. He was put in the service of the King

1. He wrote the Gospel of Matthew
2.

5. Jesus went to the cross to make this possible

Closing: Those of us who are Christ followers need to remember from where we came and from what we were saved from. We were all sinners no better than Levi (Matthew) and his friends. A Christ follower loved us with the love of God to build a relationship with us and earn the right to share the good news of Christ.