Mark 2:13-22 Questions
The Implications of Following Jesus
Mark 2:13-22
Key Verse: 14:
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.
1. Read Mark 2:13-14. Where was Jesus and what was he doing? What was the reputation of tax collectors at that time? What does Levi’s response to Jesus’ call tell us about discipleship? Read Luke 5:27-28 – Compare how Luke describes Levi’s (Matthew’s) calling. What does this tell us about Jesus’ mission?
2. Read Mark 2:15-17. What happened after Levi accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow him? How does this show Levi’s thankfulness to God’s grace and mercy upon his life? (1 Peter 2:9b; 1 John 1:3; 1 Peter 1:8) Why do you think Jesus chose to eat with tax collectors and sinners? Read Matthew 9:10-13 – How does Matthew’s account emphasize the same theme of mercy?
3. Read Mark 2:16 again. What does the reaction of the Pharisees reveal about their understanding of holiness? (Isaiah 64:6) Read Isaiah 1:11-13 – How do these verses relate to the Pharisees’ views on sacrifice and true worship?
4. Read Mark 2:17 again. How does Jesus’ statement about coming to call sinners help us understand His mission? How does Jesus’ response to the Pharisees challenge their understanding of righteousness? Why is Jesus the true physician? Read John 3:17 – What does this verse add to the understanding of Jesus’ purpose?
5. Read Mark 2:18-20. Why do you think Jesus used the imagery of a wedding feast to explain His presence? Read Revelation 19:7-9 – How does the imagery of the wedding feast connect to the ultimate celebration in heaven? How does the imagery of fasting in this passage reflect Jesus’ approach to the law and tradition? What does reveal about Jesus’ association with tax collectors and sinners?
6. Read Mark 2:21-22. What happens to a patch on a cloth? What is the significance of the analogy of new wine and old wineskins in this context? Read Matthew 9:16-17 – How does Matthew expand on this metaphor? How do our own “old wineskins” (traditions or beliefs) hinder our relationship with God? What steps can we take to embrace change in our spiritual lives, similar to the new wine in new wineskins?
Jesus Calls Levi
13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 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.
15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of[a] the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat[b] with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
A Question About Fasting
18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”[c]
Footnotes
a. Mark 2:16 Some manuscripts and
b. Mark 2:16 Some manuscripts add and drink
c. Mark 2:22 Some manuscripts omit But new wine is for fresh wineskins
