Thursday 20 Sep 2018

September 20: Luke 5:27-32

Key Verse: Luke 5:31
Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

Devotion:
When Jesus chose the people who were going to be His disciples, He did not go to the local churches and colleges to find the best and brightest. He went to the people who would make the biggest difference in society. In this case, He came to Levi (or Matthew) who was considered to be the worst of the bunch because of his bad dealings with the taxes he collected. The Pharisees and teachers of the law (the ones who thought they knew it all) were put out that Jesus would dare to go and have a slap-up meal with the people considered to be the worst!

But Jesus was not there to smooth things over and pacify the Pharisees; He was there to proclaim the gospel and make followers out of the people who would then go on to make the biggest differences in their societies. Is it any wonder then that He would ask us to do the same – to go out to the winners who needed it?

I love the way Jesus justified His actions by saying the people who need to see doctors are not the people who are well, but the people who are sick. We, the sinners, need to see our doctor (Jesus Christ) so we can be changed and healed from the inside out. Some may look at us in a strange way when we reach out to the people who need Christ most in their lives, but when we are called out to go and do so, who are we to argue with the Holy Spirit?

We may well get blamed for going into the sick and infirm, the poor and lonely, the despised and rejected; but unless we are willing to do so, they will not get to hear about the hope they have in Christ Jesus. Jesus was willing to make a sceptical of Himself so others would get to learn of the Messiah who was living amongst them. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit and go out to reach those who others may be avoiding because God is the one who does know who are the best people to reach out to!

Points to Ponder:
How often did you listen to your parents when they told you to do things?

How often do you really listen to God your Father?