Sharper Iron From Kfuo Radio

Rev. Zelwyn Heide, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Hannover, ND and Zion Lutheran Church in New Salem, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Mark 2:13-17. Crowds continue to flock to Jesus as He goes to the Sea of Galilee with the purpose of calling Levi to be His disciple. Levi, also known as Matthew, is a tax collector, a seemingly unlikely choice due to the bad reputation rightly earned by men in that profession. Yet Jesus takes the initiative in calling Levi. His short command, “Follow me,” is effective and does what Jesus intends. In celebration, Levi invites Jesus to his house for a feast, where Jesus eats with other tax collectors and sinners. Such table fellowship was offensive to the Pharisees, who had a reputation of being stringent in their pursuit of holiness according to the unwritten rules of the Law. Jesus reminds them that He eats with sinners because that is precisely the people He has come to save. In that truth, He extends the urgent invitation to the Pharisees and to all to re