Leaving the Booth
The Call to Go Out
Jesus never confined Himself to comfort. Mark 2:13 tells us, “He went out again beside the sea.” That single phrase reveals something vital about His ministry—it was always moving outward.
He didn’t build walls; He crossed them. He didn’t stay within religious circles; He entered the brokenness of the world.
If we’re not careful, even good Christian fellowship can keep us insulated. We love our small groups, our Sunday services, our potlucks—but Jesus calls us to go beyond those circles. Fellowship should strengthen us, not shelter us. If a doctor refused to see patients, he wouldn’t be fulfilling his calling. The same is true for believers who never go beyond the church walls.
So the question we have to ask is simple: How serious are we about going out into the world?
The Call of Levi
In verse 14, Jesus encounters Levi (also called Matthew), sitting in a tax booth. Levi was wealthy but empty—socially successful, spiritually bankrupt. To his own people, he was a traitor who had sold out to Rome. Tax collectors were barred from the synagogue and branded as outcasts. Yet Jesus looked past the reputation and saw the person.
All He said was, “Follow Me.”
No debate. No explanation. Just a command and a calling.
And Levi did. He rose and followed—immediately. No hesitation. No, “I’ll come later when things calm down.” He left his table, his income, his comfort… everything.
When Jesus calls, He doesn’t leave us where He found us. You’re either moving forward with Him or falling behind without Him—there’s no standing still.
The Change in Levi
Verse 15 gives us the evidence of Levi’s transformation: “As he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus.”
Levi’s first act of obedience wasn’t preaching—it was hospitality. He opened his home. He invited his old friends to meet his new Savior.
This wasn’t a wild party; it was a mission. Levi didn’t abandon his old friends—he introduced them to Jesus. His past became his platform. His home became his ministry.
When Jesus changes your life, He doesn’t just call you out—He sends you back, to reach the people you once sat beside.
The Criticism of the Pharisees
The Pharisees couldn’t handle it. “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” they asked (v. 16).
They saw the feast but missed the faith.
Religion without compassion will always criticize grace.
Jesus wasn’t condoning sin—He was confronting it with love. He wasn’t compromising truth—He was bringing truth to the table.
Brother Willard Owens, a beloved former pastor here, once shared that he was criticized for playing a round of golf. Someone scolded him for being “in the wrong crowd.” It hurt him deeply. But what if that course was his mission field? What if there were lost men there who needed to see Jesus in him?
There’s a difference between going into the world to reach it and going into the world to become it. Jesus went with intention—to heal the sick, not to blend with the sickness.
The Mission of Jesus
Jesus answered His critics plainly: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
That’s the Gospel in one sentence. He didn’t come for the people who thought they were fine—He came for those who knew they weren’t.
When Levi left his booth, he lost:
The Cost and Reward of Following Jesus
Levi could never go back. Rome doesn’t rehire deserters. But what he gained in Christ was worth infinitely more.
The world sees loss. Heaven calls it gain. Following Jesus is costly—but it’s never regrettable.
Leaving the Booth
Some of us are still sitting in our booth—tied to comfort, fear, or sin. We’re close to the kingdom, but not in it.
Is what’s in that booth worth your eternity?
Jesus still passes by and says, “Follow Me.” You can’t stay seated. You must rise and follow.
Over a century ago, William Borden—heir to the Borden Dairy fortune—felt that same call. He wrote three phrases in his Bible:
A Final Challenge
Leave the booth. Follow the Savior. Bring others with you.
Jesus never confined Himself to comfort. Mark 2:13 tells us, “He went out again beside the sea.” That single phrase reveals something vital about His ministry—it was always moving outward.
He didn’t build walls; He crossed them. He didn’t stay within religious circles; He entered the brokenness of the world.
If we’re not careful, even good Christian fellowship can keep us insulated. We love our small groups, our Sunday services, our potlucks—but Jesus calls us to go beyond those circles. Fellowship should strengthen us, not shelter us. If a doctor refused to see patients, he wouldn’t be fulfilling his calling. The same is true for believers who never go beyond the church walls.
So the question we have to ask is simple: How serious are we about going out into the world?
The Call of Levi
In verse 14, Jesus encounters Levi (also called Matthew), sitting in a tax booth. Levi was wealthy but empty—socially successful, spiritually bankrupt. To his own people, he was a traitor who had sold out to Rome. Tax collectors were barred from the synagogue and branded as outcasts. Yet Jesus looked past the reputation and saw the person.
All He said was, “Follow Me.”
No debate. No explanation. Just a command and a calling.
And Levi did. He rose and followed—immediately. No hesitation. No, “I’ll come later when things calm down.” He left his table, his income, his comfort… everything.
When Jesus calls, He doesn’t leave us where He found us. You’re either moving forward with Him or falling behind without Him—there’s no standing still.
The Change in Levi
Verse 15 gives us the evidence of Levi’s transformation: “As he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus.”
Levi’s first act of obedience wasn’t preaching—it was hospitality. He opened his home. He invited his old friends to meet his new Savior.
This wasn’t a wild party; it was a mission. Levi didn’t abandon his old friends—he introduced them to Jesus. His past became his platform. His home became his ministry.
When Jesus changes your life, He doesn’t just call you out—He sends you back, to reach the people you once sat beside.
The Criticism of the Pharisees
The Pharisees couldn’t handle it. “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” they asked (v. 16).
They saw the feast but missed the faith.
Religion without compassion will always criticize grace.
Jesus wasn’t condoning sin—He was confronting it with love. He wasn’t compromising truth—He was bringing truth to the table.
Brother Willard Owens, a beloved former pastor here, once shared that he was criticized for playing a round of golf. Someone scolded him for being “in the wrong crowd.” It hurt him deeply. But what if that course was his mission field? What if there were lost men there who needed to see Jesus in him?
There’s a difference between going into the world to reach it and going into the world to become it. Jesus went with intention—to heal the sick, not to blend with the sickness.
The Mission of Jesus
Jesus answered His critics plainly: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
That’s the Gospel in one sentence. He didn’t come for the people who thought they were fine—He came for those who knew they weren’t.
When Levi left his booth, he lost:
- His income—but found eternal treasure.
- His reputation—but found righteousness.
- His old life—but found a new identity.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
The Cost and Reward of Following Jesus
Levi could never go back. Rome doesn’t rehire deserters. But what he gained in Christ was worth infinitely more.
“Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ… because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
— Philippians 3:7–8 (ESV)
The world sees loss. Heaven calls it gain. Following Jesus is costly—but it’s never regrettable.
Leaving the Booth
Some of us are still sitting in our booth—tied to comfort, fear, or sin. We’re close to the kingdom, but not in it.
Is what’s in that booth worth your eternity?
Jesus still passes by and says, “Follow Me.” You can’t stay seated. You must rise and follow.
Over a century ago, William Borden—heir to the Borden Dairy fortune—felt that same call. He wrote three phrases in his Bible:
- No Reserve — he gave everything to God.
- No Retreat — he never turned back.
- No Regret — he died young, but fulfilled his calling.
A Final Challenge
- Don’t just study Jesus—follow Him.
- Don’t just meet with believers—go reach the lost.
- Don’t just attend church—be the church.
Leave the booth. Follow the Savior. Bring others with you.
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