Daily Bread 2011 - Luke 5
Daily Bread 2011 – Thursday, March 10th, 2011 Luke 5
Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners
27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. 29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
What Does This Mean?
In Luke 5, we see Jesus calling his disciples, who were fishermen, and transforming their vocation into fishing for people. Then he heals a leper willingly, and heals a paralyzed man but first offers him the forgiveness of his sins as a result of his deep faith. Jesus offers healing for the whole person, both his physical and spiritual condition.
In the passage above, Jesus invited Levi the tax collector to follow him. As a response, Levi invites a bunch of his friends over to a party for Jesus. The religious leaders are offended that Jesus is hanging out with such a motley crew. Jesus reminds them that he came for the likes of these. He uses the analogy of a doctor, who can only heal those who know they are sick. Whereas those who have no need, cannot benefit from even the most gifted of physicians.
What Does This Mean For Us?
There are a couple of applications to this teaching. First, we see that often those who can be the best evangelists are those who are newly converted. Why? Because they still have a lot of relationships with those who might not yet be believers. Second, by application, we see Jesus is not afraid to hang out with those who are not so holy, so why should we be?
Often, as Christians, we can become insulated and isolated from the very people who need Jesus the most. If all we do is hang out at church with like-minded people (which of course isn’t a bad thing!), we might miss out on the opportunity to be an influence to those yet to receive the Good News of Christ.
Do you have any relationships with those outside the church? How comfortable are you with introducing them to your unbelieving friends Jesus? Maybe we should throw more parties like Levi did to introduce our friends to Jesus!
Jesus, we know you are a friend of sinners. Help us to remember too reach out to those who don’t yet know you. Give us opportunities like Levi to throw parties where we can introduce you to others. Amen.
Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners
27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. 29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
What Does This Mean?
In Luke 5, we see Jesus calling his disciples, who were fishermen, and transforming their vocation into fishing for people. Then he heals a leper willingly, and heals a paralyzed man but first offers him the forgiveness of his sins as a result of his deep faith. Jesus offers healing for the whole person, both his physical and spiritual condition.
In the passage above, Jesus invited Levi the tax collector to follow him. As a response, Levi invites a bunch of his friends over to a party for Jesus. The religious leaders are offended that Jesus is hanging out with such a motley crew. Jesus reminds them that he came for the likes of these. He uses the analogy of a doctor, who can only heal those who know they are sick. Whereas those who have no need, cannot benefit from even the most gifted of physicians.
What Does This Mean For Us?
There are a couple of applications to this teaching. First, we see that often those who can be the best evangelists are those who are newly converted. Why? Because they still have a lot of relationships with those who might not yet be believers. Second, by application, we see Jesus is not afraid to hang out with those who are not so holy, so why should we be?
Often, as Christians, we can become insulated and isolated from the very people who need Jesus the most. If all we do is hang out at church with like-minded people (which of course isn’t a bad thing!), we might miss out on the opportunity to be an influence to those yet to receive the Good News of Christ.
Do you have any relationships with those outside the church? How comfortable are you with introducing them to your unbelieving friends Jesus? Maybe we should throw more parties like Levi did to introduce our friends to Jesus!
Jesus, we know you are a friend of sinners. Help us to remember too reach out to those who don’t yet know you. Give us opportunities like Levi to throw parties where we can introduce you to others. Amen.
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