Called, Not Clean - Mark 2: 13-17
Scripture Reading
Mark 2: 13-17 (ESV)
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 the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat 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.”
Reflection:
Jesus called Levi, a tax collector—someone despised and written off by religious people—to follow Him. Later, Jesus was found reclining at table with “many tax collectors and sinners.” When criticized, He answered, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”
Jesus calls people as they are, not as they “should be.”
Worship teams should reflect that same grace. We are not a stage for the spiritually elite; we are a family of people redeemed by mercy.
When we forget that we were once the “sick” in need of a Physician, we lose compassion for others and start seeing ministry as a platform instead of a place of grace.
Personal Questions:
- How has God’s grace met me in my own weakness and sin?
- Do I ever look down on others who don’t “have it together” yet?
- Does my worship flow from gratitude for mercy—or from pressure to look good?
Team Questions:
- How can we cultivate a culture of grace and honesty on our team?
- What does spiritual health look like—not just musically, but in character and humility?
- How can our worship invite people who feel like outsiders to draw near to Jesus?
Prayer:
Jesus, thank You for calling me when I was far from You. Help me never forget the mercy I’ve received. Make me a person, and us a team, marked by grace rather than judgment. Let our worship be a genuine invitation for sinners to come to the Savior. Amen.