Bible in 5: Mark 2:13-17 — The Call of Levi
The tax collector everyone avoided left his post when Jesus looked at him and called him.
The call of Levi takes up five verses in Mark 2:13-17, but it breaks two rules of its time: whom he calls and with whom he eats. Jesus was in Capernaum, by the Sea of Galilee.
The text: “Follow me” and then the table
Again by the sea, the crowd gathers around him and he teaches (see Mark 2:13). On the way to the shore, he sees a man at his tax booth:
“And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him.” (Mark 2:14, ESV)
«The table was never permission to stay as you were.»
Then we see him eating in that same man's house, surrounded by tax collectors and people with bad reputations (see Mark 2:15). The scribes don't enter: they stay outside asking the disciples what this means (see Mark 2:16). Jesus answers with the example of the doctor:
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17, ESV)
The RVR1960 ends that verse with “to repentance,” and the phrase ties the two scenes together: the same one who sits with sinners is the one who says “Follow me.” Luke 5:32 repeats the same idea in other words; it doesn't add a new requirement. The table was never permission to stay as you were.
Who wrote it and what had been happening
Mark wrote the shortest of the four Gospels. Peter called him “Mark my son” (see 1 Peter 5:13), and he also walked with Barnabas and Paul (see Acts 15:37-39). His account is directed to non-Jewish readers, apparently in Rome, between AD 50 and 65.
Shortly before, Jesus had forgiven the sins of a paralytic in Capernaum, and the scribes were already uncomfortable (see Mark 2:1-12). Levi collected taxes for the empire and that's where his livelihood came from. In his town they saw him as a traitor. His booth was at a crossroads of trade routes, between the empire and his own people.
In the first century, sharing the table expressed acceptance, not just hunger. That's why the complaint wasn't about the menu, but about the company.
What it reveals about God and how it touches you today
God is not impressed by religious appearances. He had already said it through Hosea: “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6, ESV).
No one comes to this table by their own merits. Levi had reasons to believe he was off the list, and Jesus called him. Paul would later say that Christ came to save sinners, and that he was the foremost (see 1 Timothy 1:15).
And God does all this, from beginning to end. Levi left his post not because of a convincing argument or because the group encouraged him, but because Jesus called him. Even your response is a gift (see Ephesians 2:8-9).
Now look at the place where you earn your living or where you feel safe. Ask yourself if Christ would have to get you out of there for you to truly follow him. If you have normalized a sin because “nobody's perfect,” confess it this week with a specific name. And check your table: is there someone in your classroom or workplace that no one in the group invites? You invite them.
The church is a hospital, not a showcase of healthy people. If you know you are sick, say it clearly and let him heal you.
To think about: if Jesus passed by where you work today and said to you “Follow me” (Mark 2:14), what would you have to let go of to get up?
