Ch Ch Ch Changes

Today, we begin a new summer sermon series titled, "Whatchu Talkin' Bout Jesus?"
Some of you who are around my age or older may remember the old television sitcom Diff'rent Strokes. The show centered around two young brothers from Harlem, Arnold and Willis Jackson, who were adopted by a wealthy businessman named Philip Drummond and moved to Upper Manhattan. Every week, it seemed there was some misunderstanding, a lesson to learn, or a situation that left Arnold scratching his head, especially when his brother Willis said something that didn't make sense to him or he didn’t like. Arnold would respond with his famous catchphrase, "Whatchu talkin' bout, Willis?"

As I read through the Gospels, I sometimes feel like Arnold. Jesus often said things that confused people and even some things I did not like. He said things that challenged traditions. He said things that offended religious leaders. He said things that still cause Christians today to stop and ask, "Whatchu talkin' bout Jesus?"

The goal of this series is to examine some of those statements and understand what Jesus was saying. Some of these passages are simple, and some are very difficult. Some stretch our understanding. Some challenge our assumptions. As I prepared for this series, I was reminded of a quote by N.T. Wright, who once said, "I am going to talk about some things I don't really know about, thus continuing my theological education in public." I appreciate that honesty because we must approach Scripture with humility.

Mark 2:15-22

At first glance, this passage may seem like a collection of unrelated events. We see the calling of Levi (Matthew), the tax collector. We see Jesus eating with sinners. We see the Pharisees criticizing Him. We see questions about fasting. Then Jesus starts talking about garments, wineskins, and wine.

A lot is happening in these few verses. Yet underneath all of it is one major theme: Change is coming. Jesus is announcing that something new has arrived. The old religious system that the religious leaders cherished is being fulfilled in Him. The Kingdom of God has come, and everything is about to change.

The first change Jesus announces is that sinners are welcome in the presence of God. The story begins with the calling of Levi, whom we know better as Matthew. To us, that may not seem like a big deal. We hear the phrase "tax collector" and immediately think of someone who works for the IRS.

That is not how first-century Jews viewed tax collectors. Tax collectors were among the most despised people in society. They worked for Rome, the occupying power. They often collected more taxes than necessary and retained the excess funds for their own use. They became wealthy through corruption and exploitation. To the average Jew, a tax collector was a traitor.

If you were creating a list of people most likely to become a disciple of Jesus, Levi would have been near the bottom. Yet Jesus walked right up to him and said two simple words: "Follow Me." And he did.

Immediately afterward, Levi hosted a banquet and invited Jesus to dinner. The guest list consisted largely of tax collectors and sinners. The religious leaders saw what was happening and were outraged. Why? The religious leaders had developed a view of holiness that emphasized separation from sinners. In their minds, purity was maintained by avoiding sinful people.

And here, Jesus does exactly the opposite. He sat with them. He talked with them. He ate with them. He welcomed them. The religious leaders questioned the disciples and asked why Jesus would associate with such people. Jesus responded, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Notice what Jesus is saying. A doctor does not spend all day with healthy people. He goes where the sick are. A rescue team does not search for people who are already safe. They search for those who are lost. Jesus did not come to congratulate people on their righteousness. He came to save sinners. That should be tremendously encouraging to every person in this room.

Jesus came because humanity is broken. He came because we were lost. He came because we were spiritually sick and incapable of saving ourselves.

The Pharisees divided the world into two categories: the righteous and the sinners. Jesus divided the world into two categories as well, but not in the same way. There are sinners who know they need God's grace, and there are sinners who think they do not. The truth is that every one of us belongs in the same category. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. None of us deserves God's grace. None of us has earned salvation. Every one of us stands before God as a sinner in desperate need of mercy. That is the beauty of the Gospel. Jesus meets people where they are, but He loves them too much to leave them there. He welcomes them, forgives them, transforms them, and invites them into the family of God.

This should challenge the church today. If we are not careful, we can begin to think like the religious leaders. We can start viewing unbelievers primarily as problems instead of people. We can become angry at the culture while forgetting that the culture is filled with people made in God’s image. Sometimes Christians become experts at identifying sin but struggle to show compassion.

Jesus never compromised truth. He never ignored sin. But He also never withheld grace. The church should be the most welcoming place in the community for people who are searching for hope. People should not fear walking through our doors because they think they will be judged. They should know that they will be loved and welcomed.


Our responsibility is not to condemn people. Our responsibility is not to save people. Only Jesus redeems. Our responsibility is to love people the way Jesus loves them.

The second change Jesus announces is that the old and the new cannot simply be mixed together. The religious leaders then ask Jesus another question. Why don't your disciples fast? Fasting was an important spiritual discipline among the Jews. The Pharisees fasted regularly and viewed it as a sign of spiritual devotion.

Jesus answers their question with a series of illustrations. He first describes Himself as a bridegroom. Wedding celebrations were times of joy and feasting, not mourning and fasting. As long as the bridegroom was present, there was reason to celebrate. Then Jesus uses two illustrations. No one patches an old garment with new cloth. No one pours new wine into old wineskins.

Those examples may sound strange to us, but new wine expands as it ferments. Old wineskins become brittle and inflexible. If you pour new wine into an old wineskin, the wineskin will burst. Jesus was saying that something new had arrived.  He was not simply adding another tradition to Judaism. He was not offering minor adjustments to the existing religious system. He was fulfilling everything the Old Testament pointed toward. The Law pointed to Him. The sacrifices pointed to Him. The priesthood pointed to Him. The temple pointed to Him. The prophets pointed to Him. Everything was preparing the way for Jesus.
The old covenant was never intended to be God’s plan. It was preparing people for the coming Messiah. This does not mean the old covenant was bad. Far from it. The Law was good. The Law revealed God's character. But the Law could never save. It could reveal sin, but it could not remove sin. It could diagnose the disease, but it could not provide the cure. Only Jesus could do that.

The old covenant pointed toward salvation. Jesus accomplished salvation. The old system could not contain the fullness of what God was doing through Christ. The new wine required new wineskins.

Now, let me bring this into our world today. Most people do not like change. We like routines. We like familiarity. We like knowing what to expect. If many of us are honest, we would be perfectly content if life stayed exactly the way we like it forever. But life does not work that way. The world changes. Culture changes. Society changes. Technology changes. People change. The church must learn how to minister effectively within those changes.

Now, before anyone misunderstands me, I am not suggesting that biblical truth changes. God's Word does not change. The Gospel does not change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Truth remains truth. But methods can change. The way we communicate the Gospel can change. The way we reach people can change. The way we engage our community can change.

In fact, throughout church history, that has always been the case. The message remains the same, but the methods adapt. The Apostle Paul adapted his approach depending on his audience. Missionaries learn new languages. Bible translators make Scripture accessible to new generations and cultures. Churches use technology to reach people they could never reach before. The mission remains the same. The methods evolve. The mistake some churches make is refusing to change simply because it is new. The mistake other churches make is embracing every change because it is popular. Both approaches can be dangerous.

We do not reject something because it is new. We do not embrace something because it is new. Instead, we ask the question: Does this help us faithfully proclaim Jesus Christ? If it does, we should consider it. If it compromises biblical truth, we should reject it. The challenge is to hold tightly to the Gospel while holding loosely to our personal preferences. That requires wisdom. That requires humility. And that requires a willingness to put the mission ahead of our wants and desires.

Conclusion
As we close today, remember that Jesus was talking about change.

First, He announced that sinners are embraced by God. The grace of God extends to people whom society has written off. The Gospel is for tax collectors, sinners, outcasts, and broken people. In other words, the Gospel is for all of us.

Second, He announced that something radically new had arrived. The Kingdom of God came through Jesus Christ. The old covenant was being fulfilled, and salvation would now come through faith in Him.
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The message was revolutionary then, and it remains revolutionary today. My prayer for our church is that we never lose sight of either truth. May we always welcome sinners because we remember that we are sinners saved by grace. May we always hold firmly to the unchanging truth of God's Word. And may we remain willing to change anything except the Gospel itself if it helps us bring one more person to faith in Jesus Christ.
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