Church Fathers Commentary Mark 2:13-17

"And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the [son] of Alphaeus sitting at the place of toll, and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. And it came to pass, that he was sitting at meat in his house, and many publicans and sinners sat down with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with the sinners and publicans, said unto his disciples, [How is it] that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? And when Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." — Mark 2:13-17 (ASV)

The Venerable Bede: After the Lord taught at Capernaum, He went to the sea. He did this so He might not only bring order to the lives of people in towns, but also preach the Gospel of the kingdom to those who lived near the sea. He also sought to teach them to despise the restless motions of things that pass away like the waves of the sea, and to overcome them by the firmness of faith.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This is why it says, And He went forth again to the sea, and all the multitude, etc. Alternatively, after the miracle, He goes to the sea as if wishing to be alone, but the crowd runs to Him again. This is so that you might learn that the more you flee from glory, the more it pursues you; but if you pursue it, it will flee from you. The Lord, passing on from there, then called Matthew.

St. John Chrysostom: Therefore, the text continues, And as He passed by, He saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting, etc. This is the same tax collector mentioned by all the Evangelists: Matthew by Matthew, simply Levi by Luke, and Levi, the son of Alphaeus, by Mark, for he was the son of Alphaeus. You can find people with two names in other parts of Scripture as well; for example, Moses' father-in-law is sometimes called Jethro and sometimes Raguel.

The Venerable Bede: So this same person is called both Levi and Matthew. However, out of reverence and honor for the Evangelist, Luke and Mark are unwilling to use his common name. Matthew, on the other hand, justly accuses himself, calling himself Matthew and a tax collector. He wishes to show his readers that no one who is converted should despair of salvation, since he himself was suddenly changed from a tax collector into an Apostle.¹

He says that he was sitting at the "teloneum," that is, the place where customs are managed and administered. For "telos" in Greek is the same as "vectigal" (customs) in Latin.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For he sat at the tax collector's booth, either demanding payment from some, settling accounts, or doing other such tasks that tax collectors are accustomed to do in their offices. Indeed, this man was lifted up from this state of life so that he might leave all things and follow Christ.

The Venerable Bede: Therefore, it continues, And He said to him, Follow Me, etc. To follow is to imitate. Therefore, to imitate the poverty of Christ—in the disposition of his soul even more than in his outward condition—he who used to take his neighbor's wealth now leaves his own.

He not only quit the profits from the customs, but he also disregarded the danger that might come from the rulers of this world, because he left the customs accounts incomplete and unsettled. For the Lord Himself, who called him externally with human language, also inflamed him internally with divine inspiration to follow the moment he was called.

Pseudo-Jerome: Thus Levi, which means "Appointed," followed the Word from the custom-house of human affairs. The Word says, He who does not leave all that he has cannot be My disciple.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But he who used to scheme against others becomes so benevolent that he invites many people to eat with him.

The Venerable Bede: Therefore, it continues: And it came to pass, that as Jesus sat at meat in his house. The people here called publicans are those who collect the public taxes, or men who lease the right to collect taxes for the treasury or for republics. Moreover, those who pursue worldly gain through business are also called by this name. When these people saw that the tax collector, converted from his sins to a better way of life, had found a place for pardon, they too did not despair of salvation.²

They come to Jesus not to remain in their former sins (as the Scribes and Pharisees complain), but in penitence, as the Evangelist's following words show: For there were many who followed Him.

The Lord went to the feasts of sinners so that He might have an opportunity to teach them and set spiritual food before His hosts, an act which is also conveyed in mystical figures. For whoever receives Christ into his inner dwelling is fed with the highest delights of overflowing pleasures. Therefore, the Lord willingly enters and takes up His dwelling in the heart of the one who has believed in Him. This is the spiritual banquet of good works, which the rich cannot have, but on which the poor feast.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But the Pharisees, considering themselves pure, blame this. From this, the text continues: And when the Scribes and Pharisees saw Him eat, etc.

The Venerable Bede: If the election of Matthew and the calling of the tax collectors represent the faith of the Gentiles, who were formerly focused on worldly gain, then the arrogance of the Scribes and Pharisees certainly suggests the envy of the Jewish people, who are angered by the salvation of the Gentiles.

It continues: When Jesus heard it, He said to them, They that are whole need not the physician, but they that are sick. He is addressing the Scribes and Pharisees, who, thinking themselves righteous, refused to associate with sinners. He calls Himself the physician, who, by a strange method of healing, was wounded for our iniquities, and by His wound we are healed.

He calls those "whole" and "righteous" who, wishing to establish their own righteousness, do not submit to the righteousness of God. Moreover, He calls those "rich" and "sinners" who, overcome by the awareness of their own frailty and seeing that they cannot be justified by the Law, submit themselves to the grace of Christ through repentance. Therefore, it is added, For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners, etc.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This does not mean that they should remain sinners, but that they should be converted to repentance.

1. in Marc., 11
2. in Marc. i, 12