The Sinners & The Self-Righteous

October 29, 2023 - Sunday 10:00 AM CST

Healing & Forgiveness

Luke 5:27—32

27 And after that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 And he left everything behind, and rose up and began to follow Him. 29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.  32 “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Referenced Scripture:

1 John 1:8, Matthew 9:13

Quotes:

“The radical regenerating work of Christ sours when redeemed people lose sight of their continuing need—when they forget that though their eternal future is secure, in their daily walk they are frail and needy. The church can easily become a self-righteous subculture with no room or sympathy for ‘sinners.’” Dr. R. Kent Hughes 

“…for the Jews, siting down to share a meal was an expression of spiritual fellowship. One scholar writes: ‘In the East, even today, to invite a man to a meal was an honor. It was an offer of peace, trust, brotherhood, and forgiveness; in short, sharing a table meant sharing life. In Judaism in particular, table-fellowship means fellowship before God.’” Ryken & Jeremias