Leg 1 Day 49 - Life Along the Way

Leg 1 Day 49

THOSE WHO NEED

Jesus With Us

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Scripture:

Luke 5:29-32 (NLT)

Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” Jesus answered them, “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 and need to repent.” See also Matthew 9:10-13; Mark 2:15-17

Life Lessons from Jesus:

Matthew was a tax collector, and there was not a more hated profession in Jesus’s day. (Think of someone from the IRS showing up at your door.) Judgment poured in as Jesus showed up at Matthew’s house to dine. People were angry that Jesus would choose the company of this kind of person over theirs. Jesus asked Matthew to be a disciple and chose to eat with Matthew and his friends because they were the very people who needed Him. Jesus was not afraid of what people might think. He had already publicly invited Matthew to be His disciple. He saw something in Matthew, and He wanted other people to see it too. Jesus wants to be with those who need His message. He is willing to go where the sinners are because He sees something in all of us. He is not afraid to sit at the table with those whom most people refuse to accept.

The WAY:

Consider these questions as you reflect on today’s reading:

How did the Pharisees view outsiders, and what must that have led to?

Have you ever been with a group that you felt weren’t welcoming to outsiders?

What is Jesus saying to us in this passage?

Prayer:

Jesus, I thank You for eating with the broken, the marginalized, and the outcasts. I praise You for being a personal God who meets us in our time of need. Thank You for making room for me too. In Your name, amen.

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