Section 2:13–17

Jesus chose a tax collector to be his disciple

In this section Jesus called a man named Levi to be his disciple. For the meaning of “disciple,” see the note on 2:15.

Levi was a tax collector who worked for the Roman government. The Roman people had conquered the Jews, and they forced them to pay taxes to Rome. The Romans hired Jews to collect taxes from their own people. The other Jews despised these tax collectors because they worked for the Romans. They also hated tax collectors because they sometimes collected more money than necessary. Then they kept the extra money and became rich.

This story also tells about another conflict that Jesus had with the Jewish religious leaders. After Levi became Jesus’ disciple, Jesus came to have dinner at his house. Levi’s friends, who were also tax collectors or other sinners, also came to the dinner. During the dinner, the religious leaders criticized Jesus for associating with such people. Jesus answered that it is people who know they are sinners who need him, not those who believe themselves to be righteous.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Jesus cares for outcasts
-or-
Jesus loves sinners

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 9:9–13 and Luke 5:27–32.

Paragraph 2:13–14

2:13a

Once again: The phrase Once again introduces a new story. This story is a new event in the larger story about Jesus in Mark.

Here are some other ways to express the connection:

Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again (New Living Translation)
-or-
Jesus went to the lake again

Use a natural way in your language to introduce this new event. Notice that the phrase Once again also indicates that Jesus had done the action in 2:13a before.

Jesus went out beside the sea: The phrase Jesus went out beside the sea indicates here that Jesus left the town of Capernaum to go to the lake.

beside the sea: The phrase the sea refers to Lake Galilee. This is the same lake that was mentioned in 1:16. Refer to the way you translated it there. Since the phrase the sea indicates a specific lake, in some languages you may need to say:

beside Lake Galilee

2:13b

All the people: The phrase All the people refers to many people who gather in the same place. Use a natural expression in your language.

came: The form of the Greek verb came indicates an action that continued. Many people were coming to Jesus and gathering around him.

to Him: The pronoun Him refers to Jesus. He is still in focus in this story. Use a natural way to refer to him here.

He taught them there: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He taught them there is literally “he was teaching them.” In this context it probably means that Jesus was teaching them over a period of time. It may indicate here that he was teaching the people as he walked along.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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