Feb 17: Luke 5:27-32
Key Verse: Luke 5:32
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Devotion:
One of the things Jesus made sure He always did was to include everyone in what He was doing. He actively went out of His way to make sure sinners were welcome and got to hear about the good news! In this section of scripture Jesus approaches a tax collector, a person who was regarded by everyone as a sinner because of he methods they used to get money out of people – and not always the right way!
For Levi to get up and follow Jesus at the drop of a hat means Jesus had approached Him with authority! Tax collectors were people who followed authority and did what the people in charge said should be done. Levi had probably heard about the things this man Jesus was doing, must have heard about the scriptures as the people around him talked, and instinctively knew Jesus was the man to be able to clear this all up in his head.
The Pharisees and teachers of the law did not see the humane side of things but, instead, saw a dreadful sinner who should not have been approached to start with. Then when Jesus went off to have a meal with these sinners, that was the last straw for them.
This demonstrates the polar opposites between the Pharisees and Jesus. The Pharisees shunned anyone who did not listen to them and obey their rules. Jesus invited everyone to come to the table! We need to be more like Jesus in the way we approach others when it comes to telling them about the good news – everyone is invited!
Points to Ponder:
Do you shy away from talking to some people about God?
What if you were never told about God?