“And Levi made Him a great feast in his own house; and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against His disciples, saying, why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, they that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:29-32
Today’s Christian Daily Devotional
Jesus seemed to stir the pot of controversy wherever His foot landed. These verses are just a tiny snapshot of one of the various times He got under the skin of the religious leaders in His day.
Much like people today prefer to put “labels” on others, the Jewish culture during that time was no different. Lower income families were separated from those who had status; and people who were considered “religious” separated themselves from the common folk. Religious leaders did not view mingling with the locals as “kosher”.
Jesus walked with spiritual authority, yet lived without pretension. Up until Jesus arrived on the scene, most of the Jewish people in His day never saw a religious leader walk with such compassion and power.
Jesus never separated Himself from touching the lives of humanity, and by doing this He touched lives and hearts of almost everyone everywhere that He went.
Many people are not comfortable with going to church because many of the ones who regularly attend, make sure to let them know who is high in the “religious hierarchy”. This kind of behavior would make the God that many say they worship (Jesus) vomit.
No human sinner is better than another. It does not matter how many tattoos are on the outside, the state of the heart is the most important thing to God. If we cannot see past the exterior, and reach out and touch another hurting human, we have become the kind of person that will never admit our own sinful nature, and we are beyond salvation ourselves.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
How did I get to the spot where I forgot where I came from? Who am I to even entertain for one moment that I am better than another human? We are all sinners no matter what we look like on the outside, or how well we cover our sins. You know you and me see me for who I really am. Show me again who I am, remind me of what you rescued me from. Help me to never forget that your grace has allowed me one more breath and one more chance to reach out and to help another hurting soul. If I ever become detached from my fellow man with my own pride again, show me my heart. I give you my self-righteousness spirit. I am useless if I become cold hearted. Bless me with a soft and humble heart, Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s daily devotional. Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan