Appropriate vs. Inappropriate

In this exploration of Mark 2:13-22 Pastor Steve challenged us to examine our hearts regarding who deserves to hear the gospel message. We're confronted with a radical question: would we share Jesus with the most hated person in history? Through Jesus' calling of Levi the tax collector—a man despised by society and excommunicated from religious life—we discover that Christ intentionally seeks out the rejected and the outcast. The message reveals how Jesus brought together mortal enemies like Levi and Simon the Zealot into one unified body, demonstrating that only God can reconcile such divisions. We're reminded that Jesus didn't come as a physician for the healthy, but for the sick—for those who know they need help. This passage forces us to ask uncomfortable questions: Are we only spending time with fellow believers? Are we intentionally building relationships with unsaved people so they can see Christ in us? The teaching about fasting and new wine in old wineskins further illustrates that Jesus doesn't just patch up our old lives—He makes us completely new creations. This isn't about adding religious practices to our existing routines; it's about total transformation. We're called to be salt and light in a world that desperately needs Jesus, even when it feels uncomfortable, even when it means dining with modern-day 'tax collectors and sinners' in our own spheres of influence.