Dear Friends,



What it must have been like to sit at the feet of Jesus as He taught. In our scripture for Sunday, Jesus is teaching. What was the content of His teaching…did He teach with great enthusiasm or was He calm and subdued; did He leave time for questions or was He quick to get up and leave for His next destination? Of course we don’t have exact answers for any of these questions, but we do have reactions from those who heard Him. I believe that every teaching He provided in all the Gospels was concerning the Kingdom of God and how we are to live out that Kingdom in our lives. This Sunday we will look at some of the responses, and to prepare, here are three powerful truths about Jesus that flow out of Mark 2:13-28.

First, Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector despised by many, to follow Him. This reminds us that no one is too far from God’s grace. If Jesus could use Levi, He can use us.

Second, Jesus eats with sinners and outcasts, declaring that He came not for the righteous but for the broken. What hope this gives us! We don’t need to clean ourselves up before coming to Him. He welcomes us just as we are.

Third, Jesus reminds the Pharisees that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. In Him, true rest is not about rules but about relationship. We find peace not in our performance, but in His Presence.

Until Sunday, remember:

»We are called by Jesus.

»We are welcomed at His table (we will be coming to the Lord’s Table for communion).

»We find true rest in His Presence.

Let’s walk in step with Him and flourish in His grace. I encourage you to invite someone to walk with you.

You are loved!

Pastor Mark