Mark 2:13-17 tells the story of how Jesus did something that the religious leaders deemed immoral and offensive. After making the tax collector, Levi (Matthew), one of his disciples, Jesus chose to eat dinner at Levi’s house alongside “many tax collectors and sinners.”

In the culture at that time, sharing a meal with someone meant that you accepted or opted to overlook their lifestyle choices. Consequently, Jesus’ choice of dinner companions subjected him to scrutiny and ridicule.

In response, he said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Who is the worst sinner you can imagine? Do you absolutely abhor such a person and their actions? Do you hold them in contempt? Do you even go so far as to think they deserve eternal damnation for what they have done?

Many people in Jesus’ day would have placed tax collectors like Levi in such a category. They were employed by the Romans to collect taxes from their own people. Tax collectors tended to lack integrity and used their positions to pad their own pockets. Corruption was rampant, but the Romans did not care as long as they were paid in full.

Tax collectors tended to be outcasts from their society, their religion, and even their own families. It simply did not make sense to Jesus’ challengers that he would choose such a person to be among his closest followers and students. In addition, he also was willing to fellowship with others like Levi in a very visible setting.

Why would Jesus — God in the flesh — choose to associate with such morally bankrupt people? From the perspective of many, it was disgraceful and inexcusable. However, Jesus saw everything from a completely different vantage point.

As someone else has stated, his response could be considered his mission statement: “I have not come to call, heal, or save the righteous (rather, the self-righteous) but sinners.”

Is not this an amazing example of the extent and reach of God’s grace? There is no sinner that the grace of God cannot touch, and there is no sin that he cannot or will not forgive. If Jesus — our ultimate role model — set such a lofty example for us with his life and ministry, what stance should we take when faced with similar situations and people?

Think about the person who came to mind in response to the previously asked questions. Do you truly believe that such an individual is capable of being saved, or are they beyond the limits of God’s grace and forgiveness? Yes, that individual must make a personal decision for Christ, but do you believe that salvation is even available to them?

If you can be convinced — if you are not already — that they can be saved, then what are you doing about it? Are you praying for them like you should? If it is someone you personally know, have you shared the Gospel with them?

As a Christian, you possess the greatest, most important message in the world — the good news of the salvation that is available through Jesus Christ. Are you willing to risk getting a little dirty and beat up in the process of sharing it?

Are you willing to chance being criticized by others who might see you befriending and spending time with people who have been rejected by many because of their identities and behaviors?

What would Jesus do in such a situation and with such people? Study Mark 2:13-17 and see for yourself!