Dining with Sinners:

Matthew 9:9 "...Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him..."

Mark 2:14 "...And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him..."

Luke 5:27 "...After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me...”

Why did Levi (Matthew) follow Jesus?

- Jesus met him where he worked.

- Jesus made him an offer.

Matthew 9:12-13 "...But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners...”

Mark 2:17 "...And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners...”

Luke 5:31,32 "...And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance...”

** Why did Jesus come?

- to call sinners.

Call sinners to what?

- to repentance.

What was the Pharisees reaction to Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners?

When does religion miss the purposes of God?

- when it focuses on appearance rather than the purposes of God.

2 Timothy 3:5 "...having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people..."

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 (KJV) "...Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil..." But NIV, ESV, NASB simply say "...avoid every kind (form) of evil..."

It's reported that Herod Antipas received about 5 million dollars per year in taxes from Galilee and Perea.

Levi may have been collecting tax from commercial traffic and even from the fishermen on the Sea of Galilee.

What do you think of government representatives that lay heavy tax burdens on people? Are they sinners?

What does Jesus think of them?

Another example of the difference between "I must remain clean" to "I can make clean".

Not Fasting:

Matthew 9:15-17 "...And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved...”

Mark 2:19-22 "...And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins - and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins...”

Luke 5:34-39 "...And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’ ...”

Context:

- Originally there was but one fast a year, on the Day of Atonement. People were to deny themselves, demonstrate humility by wearing sackcloth, mourn and pray.

- In time, the number of fasts increased, and became a sign of repentance and seeking God's mercy.

- John's disciples and the Pharisees fasted.

- People wondered why Jesus' disciples didn't fast.

What reason did Jesus give for his disciples not fasting?

- you don't fast when the bridegroom is with you.

- you don't seek God's mercy when it is standing among you.

Did Jesus abolish fasting?

- He said the days will come to fast.

- This is one of many hints revealing the awareness Jesus had about His future.

Why did Jesus talk about unshrunk cloth and old wineskins?

- what Jesus was preaching and teaching would not work within the framework of rigid traditionalism.

- like an already stretched to capacity wineskin, the existing form of Judaism couldn't contain what Jesus and the Holy Spirit would reveal.

What additional warning does the Luke account offer?

- it's possible to be so satisfied with the old that there is no desire for the new.

- since new wine damages old wineskins, people must choose between desire for new and desire for old.

Healed on the Sabbath:

John 5:6 "...When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?...”

Context:

- Jesus went up to Jerusalem (his second of three trips).

- He went to the pool called Bethesda (house of divine mercy) by the sheep gate.

- there was man there who had been an invalid for 38 years (average life expectancy at that time was 40).

Why would Jesus ask this question?

- Are there people who are defined by their misery, and embrace it?

- Is it important to confess our desires?

Did the man answer the question?

- the man didn't have friends like the paralytic who was lowered through the roof.

- his focus was on what he didn't have.

Do we focus too much on what we don't have?

How long did it take for this invalid of 38 years to be healed?

- he was healed at once.

- does it seem odd that the Jews would be bothered by the man carrying his mat on the Sabbath?

John 5:14 "...Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you...”

Context:

- Jesus ran into the man later in the Temple.

Why did Jesus bring sin into the discussion?

- Jesus knew that sin creates consequences.

- sin leads to bad things happening to people.

What would be worse than 38 years of being an invalid?

- an eternity in the torment of hell.

John 5:17 "...But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working...”

Context:

- the Jews were persecuting Jesus because of His activity on the Sabbath.

What is Jesus response to their displeasure?

- My Father works. I work.