JesusX30 Challenge—Scene 8: THE ENCROACHMENT
1. Key Texts
• Mark 2:1–17—Healing of the paralyzed man & calling of Matthew.
• Luke 5:12–32—Leper healed and banquet with tax collectors.
• Matthew 9:9–13—“Follow me.”
• Leviticus 13–14—Purity laws behind exclusion.
• Isaiah 58—True fasting: justice, mercy, liberation.
2. Outline / Notes
Date & Place
• Winter 27 → Spring 28 AD.
• Still based in Capernaum, but Jesus’ reach is spreading across Galilee.
• Rainy season slows travel = more people in towns = larger crowds ready to listen.
Main Account
• Jesus passes a tax booth and calls Matthew (Levi) to follow him (Mark 2:14).
• Tax collectors = symbols of Roman oppression and economic injustice.
• Calling Matthew wasn’t a gesture of niceness—it was a strategic recruitment.
– Matthew knew Rome’s trade routes, tax systems, and official networks.
– His connections could help Jesus navigate political tensions.
• Matthew hosts a banquet with other tax collectors and “sinners.”
– In that culture, table fellowship = shared status.
– Jesus publicly aligns himself with outsiders, not elites.
• Religious leaders object: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
– Jesus responds: “It’s not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Mark 2:17)
– This becomes a mission statement: God heals by inclusion, not exclusion.
• Surrounding scenes intensify conflict:
– Healing a leper (Luke 5:12–16): touch restores health and social belonging.
– Forgiving a paralyzed man (Mark 2:5): claims divine authority over sin and Temple.
– Healing on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1–6): declares God’s law meant to give life, not control.
• Religious and political leaders join forces to oppose him (Pharisees + Herodians).
• Amid rising tension, Jesus keeps building a movement from the margins.
Meanwhile
• Each miracle restores both health and dignity—a social revolution in motion.
• By calling Matthew, Jesus merges mercy and strategy—compassion with planning.
• The dinner table becomes a symbol of God’s new order: outsiders now insiders.
• Matthew’s skills and connections become tools for the Kingdom.
• Like William Wilberforce’s “Clapham Circle,” Jesus gathers a team of unlikely allies to confront injustice together.
3. Main Point
• Jesus wasn’t just welcoming outsiders—he was building with them.
• Matthew represents how Jesus redeems even compromised people and turns their experience into Kingdom assets.
• His table fellowship is revolution over a meal—God’s new society taking shape in real time.
4. Exegetical Insight
• Mark 2:14—akolouthei moi (“Follow me”)—an imperative of total allegiance, not mere belief.
• Mark 2:17—ouk ēlthon kalesai dikaious alla hamartōlous—“I came not to call the righteous but sinners.” Jesus redefines holiness around mercy.
• Leviticus 13–14—purity laws that excluded the “unclean”; Jesus reverses them by touch and table.
• Meals = microcosms of society; Jesus uses them to model God’s inverted kingdom.
5. Reflection Questions
• Who would your community be shocked to see you eat with—and why?
• What “Matthew” in your life might God be inviting you to welcome or learn from?
• When have you felt like an outsider Jesus called in and given purpose?
• How can your past or skills be redeemed for God’s movement today?
6. Action Step / Challenge
• Share a meal or conversation this week with someone outside your usual circle.
• Ask God to show you how your “ordinary” experience could serve his mission.
• Remember: you’re not just saved for later—you’re sent for now.
Buy the books!
This 30-day challenge is based on my book trilogy entitled Jesus: The Strategic Life and Mission of the Messiah and His Movement (3 Volumes, Hekhal Publishing Co., 2025).
You can buy or borrow the trilogy at:
Hekhal Publishing Co. (look for free samples of each book as well)
Amazon (print or ebook)
Barnes & Noble (print or ebook)
Hoopla (borrow)
Many more booksellers worldwide!
