Jesus: Righteous Rebel, Friend of Sinners, and Healer of the Broken

Last year, in the middle of the pandemic that left us all feeling broken and alone, I was finding things to keep me occupied (as we all were), only to stumble upon a series called The Chosen. If you have not seen it, it is a gospel based drama series centered around following the narrative of Jesus and his disciples as the mystery and divinity of Jesus unfolds to those around him. 

In Mark, we see the narrative of Jesus taking this pace that centers on getting to know who Jesus is and what he’s done for even what we consider the “least” of mankind. From the beginning, we are shown how Jesus is someone who baffles expectations, one that rivals the piousness of the Pharisees, the humility of the sinner and the authority of God himself. 

However, one of my favorite parts about both the gospels, and The Chosen, is seeing how the people around him reacted to his peculiar nature and subsequent grace. One such scene from the show is reflected in this passage in Mark 2:1-12 as the friends of a paralyzed man lower him into the roof of a crowded house full of onlookers.

In The Chosen, as we see the man being lowered into the house, Levi, known as Matthew, sits on a nearby rooftop with some children, watching in curious amazement as the faith of the people led them to such a wild and dangerous act. However, Jesus, a man of love and faith, knew that this man being lowered in was broken in more ways than one. He amazed those in attendance with the healing that he gave, not just spiritually but physically. 

I often forget how shocking it must have been to watch the actions of Jesus unfold. We forget that they did not know what would come next, but reacted in real time to seeing Jesus work, growing their faith as they went. We don’t know who saw which miracles, or what inspired each disciple to follow, but I would like to think that, like we see in The Chosen, these miracles were witnessed by Levi, and filled his mind with wonder and growing faith, right up until the day that Jesus called him. 

However, this call was not something that Levi may have been expecting, knowing his own religious standing. He was not a choice most would have made, being that tax collectors were seen as traitors to their own people, which would have labeled Levi an outcast. In the series, we find that this means that many people avoid socialising and even eating with Levi, leaving him often alone.

However, the first thing that Jesus did after calling him to follow him was to share a meal with Levi and others that the Pharisees called “sinners”. Jesus stepped right into the places where he was not expected to be and the very homes of those outcasted by religious society. Jesus could have been expected to be fellowshipping with those who are righteous, as he could have been a leader of the Pharisees. He instead chose to go where the people were most broken and most in need of healing, and resided there. 

This righteous rebellion of choosing love over tradition bleeds into every action that Jesus does, from not fasting during designated times (Mark 2:18-22), to picking grain on the sabbath (Mark 2:23-28) and even residing amongst and healing those who would make him unclean (Mark 2:15-17). We see here that where Jesus finds himself is often in table-fellowship with those in the outskirts of society. 

As we embark on our week ahead, we should consider the ways that we can imitate Jesus’ love of those most in need, especially in regards to table-fellowship. May we see the homeless, broken, disabled, hungry, different and outcast members of our society as ones where we can invite to the table and inspire others to say in amazement, “We’ve never seen anything like this.”