A Devotional Thought From Luke’s Gospel
Then drew near unto
him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and
scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. Luke 15:1, 2
One of the
great criticisms of Jesus was this one:
This man receiveth sinners.
The
religious legalists could not get their heads around the fact that God did not
feel the way about sinners that they did. They looked down on others who did
not meticulously keep the laws set forth by the scribes as well as they, the
legalists, did. They looked down on those who did not dress as well as they,
the legalists, did every day. These were ordinary people who, if they were
judged by ordinary civic standards, would come out being considered, for the
most part, decent human beings. But they were not up to the “really religious”
standards of those who saw themselves as the righteous ones, so the “righteous
ones” considered them the low down dirt of the earth. Of course, some of them were: Roman
tax collectors and collaborators, others, perhaps, liars, cheats, harlots,
whatever, AND/SO even you, dear readers, think they
deserved to not be received by Jesus, or at least his church, yet he received
them. Aaaaghh!
Think
back to the manger. Around Jesus was a mother who was self-proclaimed as one
who needed a savior; an earthly father who had to be convinced that the sordid
thought he had about his bride was wrong; shepherds who certainly were sinners
of some sort at least by Pharisaical standards; wise men, or kings, if the
tradition is true, who very likely were throughout their life time involved in
the academic, or political, or occultic intrigue that would surround their
occupations. In other words, the savior in the manger had sinners all around
him even then!
The
Pharisees missed the glory of Jesus,
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). Sinners!
BTW, they, the Pharisees, and us, we’re sinners. Thank God Jesus receives us!
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