36 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
36 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Luke 5:27–32"
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date = "2022-11-05"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Lk5.27-32)
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In the Roman Empire, tax collectors weren’t paid very much, and it was
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generally expected by the authorities that they would line their pockets by
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inflating the taxes owed by the people. Rome didn’t much care as long as they
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were paid. But because everyone knew what was happening, tax collectors were
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even less popular then than they are today. In Judea, it was even worse because
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they were seen as traitors, helping the conquering invaders over their own
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people.
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So Jesus comes up and turns one into a disciple. We don’t get any backstory, or
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why this Levi is willing to drop everything to follow Jesus, but he does and is
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so overjoyed that he holds a feast for Jesus. He invites everyone he knows, who
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are mostly other tax collectors because no one else would associate with them.
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The Pharisees see what’s going on. They are watching Jesus to see what He does
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and says, and they can’t believe that a teacher of His standing would associate
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with sinners like Levi and his friends. The Pharisees tried very hard to live
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holy lives, to such an extent that even being near someone not following the
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law and traditions could damage their standing before God, as they saw it.
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With His actions, Jesus refutes them completely. When they ask Him why, He
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responds by saying that sinners are the kind of people He has come to minister
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to in the first place. Righteous people don’t need a Savior; only sinners. What
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the Pharisees didn’t realize yet was that they were just as sinful as those
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they looked down on.
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* * *
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Do not let our sins seem less than those of others, just because they are
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different sins.
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