"For God
is closely watching you and He weighs carefully everything you do."
(Proverbs 5:21, TLB)
"While Jesus was having
dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating
with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When
the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the
"sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat
with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said to them,
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come
to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:15-17, NIV)
Observations:
I asked myself what are
the actions of Jesus?
-
Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house
with his disciples.
-
Jesus was eating with many tax collectors
and “sinners”.
-
Jesus hears the Pharisees remarks and
responds.
Observations/Interpretations:
I asked myself what is the
significance of Jesus eating dinner at Levi’s house?
Point 1:
Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house with his disciples.
I found it significant because Jesus had just
met Levi who was a tax collector. Jesus had invited him to follow Him.
Now Levi follows Jesus and invites Jesus to his house to have dinner. It
does not end there as is evident by point 2.
Point 2:
Jesus was eating with many tax collectors and “sinners”.
When Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his
house, it was not a single invitation. Levi goes and invites all of his
friends who included tax collectors and “sinners” to dine with him so
they could also dine with Jesus who Levi wanted them to meet. Jesus
could have left after seeing who he was eating with but remains there
and continues to eat. Even though Jesus does not have a problem eating
with Levi and the other dinner guests, the Pharisees do. This is evident
by point 3.
Point 3:
Jesus hears the Pharisees remarks and responds.
When Jesus heard that the teachers of the law
who were Pharisees were asking his disciples, “Why
does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?", Jesus said to them, "It
is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to
call the righteous, but sinners."
It is so interesting that Jesus addresses the
Pharisees directly about His willingness to eat with tax collectors and
‘sinners’ because He is indirectly telling them that He is the Great
Physician that can heal them. For that to happen, He wants to also spend
time with them. No matter where the dinner guests have come from Jesus
wants the Pharisees to know He is there for them. The other side of it
is that Jesus is also telling the Pharisees that He did not come for the
healthy.
This makes me think that Jesus is alluding to
the fact that those who think they are good (a.k.a Pharisees), Jesus did
not come for them because they already think they have it all together
even though they don’t.
Implications:
I learned from Jesus that when we are humble and
acknowledge where we are at, Jesus values that. The Pharisees thought
that they had it together and wanted to distance themselves from the
tax-collectors and “sinners” of that day. Jesus would have none of that!
Jesus reminds them that He came to seek and save the lost (a.k.a. sick)
not those who see themselves as healthy.
I learned from Levi that when Jesus invited him
to be His follower, Levi does not ignore those he knew before following
Jesus. Rather, he invites them all to have dinner with Jesus. In
essence, Levi was having an evangelistic dinner so other tax collectors
and sinners could have an encounter with Jesus. I too need to let others
know about Jesus as Levi did so that they too can have a personal
encounter with Jesus.
I ask you now dear
friends, who do you invite to Jesus?
Dear friends, when Levi was invited by Jesus to
follow Him, Levi not only followed Jesus but invited others who are like
him to his house so they too can have an encounter with Jesus. If you
are a believer in Christ, you have the wonderful opportunity to invite
those that do not know Jesus to have an encounter with Jesus. Yes, you
can!
How much does Jesus mean
to you?
Does He mean so much to
you that you are willing to go the extra step so all your friends who do
not know Jesus can have Jesus as their Great Physician in there lives?
If Jesus means so much to
you, don’t you want others to experience the love of Jesus and have them
encounter Jesus?
I know I do! You can too! For Jesus came to seek
and save the lost! Jesus did not ignore the other tax collectors and
sinners who were dining with Jesus at Levi’s house. When you bring your
friends to Jesus who do not know Jesus, He will not ignore them.
In this day, there are many ways to do that to
help your friends have an encounter with Jesus. We can do our part and
leave the results in Jesus’ Helping Hands. He is the Great Physician who
will attend to them as we introduce them to Jesus.
It’s like an ambulance taking
sick people to the
hospital. Once at the hospital, the doctor takes care of them. In a way,
we are like the ambulance taking them to the Great Physician. Once we
introduce them, we have to let Jesus handle the rest. We need to do our
part but it is Jesus that makes the seed grow inside a person. He has
already paid the price to set us free. We need to accept it!
There are different ways we can invite others to
Jesus and I want to share them with you. These are not exhaustive but
what I have found to be helpful:
-
J.E.S.U.S group (Jesus Empowering Students
Under Scripture)
-
Evangelistic Bible Studies/ Seeker
sensitive Bible studies/Investigative Bible Studies/GIG's (Groups
Investigating God)
-
Evangelistic movies
-
Testimonies.
-
Relational Evangelism/Friendship Evangelism
You have the opportunity to invite
those who do not know Jesus to encounter Jesus!
Jesus loves you so much and paid the price to
set you free. If you were the only one living, I still believe Jesus
would have done the same for you. You are never out of His love, never
out of His reach.
May you experience the love of Jesus Christ in a
most powerful way! Amen!
“Introduce Now Valiantly
Invitation Towards Emmanuel!” (I.N.V.I.T.E)/”Who
do you invite?”
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus thank you
so much for dining with Levi and his friends. You do not make his
friends seem like outcasts. You knew they were not healthy spiritually
and came to heal them of their sickness. I thank you Lord for coming
into this world to bring your healing to humanity. Thank you for all
those who you invite to be part of your Kingdom. Oh Lord, I believe when you
went to the cross for us, you made an invitation to humanity to come to
you. Thank you Lord those that come to you, you will not turn away. I
thank you Jesus for dying for our sin and coming back to life to save
us. Help us to live for you and serve you all the days of our lives and
invite our friends who do not know you to come to encounter you. Guide
us and please lead us reminding us that it is you who are the Great
Physician. Help us to do our part and leave the results in your Helping
Hands. I thank you Jesus for everything. We entrust our lives to you. In
Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
If you would like to invite Jesus
Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can
this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises
for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His
wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to
the Lord. You can come right now as you pray this prayer, meaning it in
your heart.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, I am a sinner Lord.
I am so sorry for my sins. I confess my sins to you. I confess the wrong
things I have done and messed up my own life. I need you Lord right now
and in the years to come. I have gone my own way and have not found what
only you can give me. You alone have the words of Eternal Life. You
alone love me unconditionally for who I am. Thank you Jesus! I turn
myself to you Oh Lord in this Fall of October 2005. Please forgive me of
all my sins and come into my heart. I accept
you Jesus into my heart. Thanks Jesus for coming into my heart. Thanks
for forgiving me of all my sins. Thanks for giving me a new identity in
you. I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior as I believe in my
heart that you died and came back to life to save me now and forever. I
give myself to you and ask you to be in control of my life. Thank you
Jesus for the coming days we can do things together. Thanks for being my
Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you Jesus you have heard my prayer and
answered me. Thanks Jesus for changing me and helping me through life's
storms and winds. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
Friend, you may feel something
or you may not but this you can be assured that the Lord Jesus has come
into your life and will give you a new beginning! Amen!
Get yourself involved in a
campus Bible study, fellowship, and most of all find a Bible believing
church and be involved to grow in your Christian walk with the Lord.
They all need to be supplements for your own precious time with the Lord
in prayer and meditating on His Word. If you need a Bible, please let me
know!
If you
need anyone to talk to, pray with, or study the Bible with this Fall of
October 2005, you can email me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579.
Love in Christ,
Ramesh
Next Devotional:
Express your view
