Day 7 — Good News for Sinners

Day 7 · The Gospel: God’s Saving Grace · Mark 1:14-15; Mark 2:13-17 (NET2)

Jesus announces God's kingdom and calls people to repent and believe the good news. His invitation reaches people others dismiss. Levi leaves his tax booth to follow, and Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners. His welcome is not approval of sin: the physician comes because the sick need healing. Repentance means turning to God, not making ourselves worthy before we come.

Request

Lord Jesus, help me hear your invitation afresh. By your Spirit, turn my heart from self-righteousness and sin, and teach me to follow you. Amen.

Read

Mark 1:14-15; Mark 2:13-17

¹⁴ Now after John was imprisoned, Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God. ¹⁵ He said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel!”

¹³ Jesus went out again by the sea. The whole crowd came to him, and he taught them. ¹⁴ As he went along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth. “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him. ¹⁵ As Jesus was having a meal in Levi’s home, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ When the experts in the law and the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷ When Jesus heard this he said to them, “Those who are healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Scripture: NET Bible, Second Edition (NET2).

Reflect

1. How do Jesus' announcement and his encounter with Levi show both the welcome and the claim of God's kingdom?
2. Do you find it harder to admit your own need or to welcome another needy person? What response is Jesus inviting?

Restate

Explain why Jesus' good news calls for both faith and repentance.

Respond

Let the passage guide your prayer. Use these prompts in your own words:

• Praise: Praise Jesus as the King who welcomes sinners.
• Thanksgiving: Thank him that you do not need to hide your need.
• Confession: Confess self-righteousness or resistance to his call.
• Intercession: Pray for someone who feels excluded from God's welcome.
• Petition: Ask for a repentant heart and generous hospitality.

Carry it into today: Take one concrete step of turning from sin, and show genuine welcome to someone you might otherwise overlook.