Epiphany Season · Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany · Year B
Mark 2:13-22
The Calling of Levi
February 28, 2027
Overview & Insights
“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)
This section is all about forgiveness (2:1–12) that leads to discipleship (2:13–17), and this is set in contrast to the intransigence of the religious leaders. There is a reversal, for those who think they are healthy prove themselves to be sick, and those who know they are sick find health.
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Commentary
Mark 2:13-22 Working Preacher
Luther Seminary reads Mark 2 as a chain of eating and fasting controversies, unpacking the call of Levi and the bridegroom, cloth, and wineskins sayings.
Classic commentaries on Mark 2 BibleHub
Classic verse-by-verse commentaries on Mark 2 with notes on the calling of Levi and the new-wineskins parable.
Mark 2 verse by verse Precept Austin
Extensive word studies, cross-references, and preacher quotations on Mark 2.
Mark 2:13-22 Enduring Word · David Guzik
An accessible verse-by-verse commentary, widely used across evangelical churches.
New Wine and New Wineskins Word on Fire · Bishop Barron
Bishop Barron preaches on the new wine and new wineskins saying in Mark 2, calling hearers to expand to receive the Gospel.
Background & Word Study
The Calling of Levi (Mark 2:13-17) Theology of Work
Examines why a tax collector was so despised and what Jesus' call of Levi means for vocation and workplace discipleship.
What are Jesus' new wineskins, structures or people? Psephizo · Ian Paul
Asks whether the new wineskins point to new structures or new people, sharpening the parable's meaning.
Overview: Mark BibleProject
An animated overview of Mark's Gospel framing the chapter 2 conflict stories within the book's arc.
Summary of Mark Enter the Bible
An overview of Mark's themes, audience, and structure to situate these early Galilean controversies.
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
Who does Jesus call at the tax booth?
Jesus calls Levi the tax collector to follow him and then eats with tax collectors and sinners, declaring that it is the sick, not the healthy, who need a physician.
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