September 1, 2025
By Mary Aaron
Jesus is God in the Flesh
And His heart is for the people, and His desire is for the people to be whole and complete.
Religious people can not see your heart, nor can those who are self-righteous.
Luke 5:17-20
One day, Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees (a religious and self-righteous group of people)and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee, and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.
Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.
When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
Being religious and not taking into consideration that Jesus did exactly what the men wanted for this paralyzed man, they could not appreciate what Jesus did for this man. The only thing they could think about was a way to accuse Jesus of what He had done.
Meaning, the fact that Jesus had a heart for the people and did not want this man to suffer any longer was not seen by these religious and self-righteous men.
V21. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
V22. Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?
V23.Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
V24. But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”
V25. Immediately, he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on, and went home praising God.
V26. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
One day, Jesus saw Levi, a tax collector, sitting at his tax booth. When Samuel was told to Jesus said to Levi, a tax collector sitting at his tax booth
Jesus came for the sinners, not for those who believe they are made righteous by their own doing.
Luke 5
V27. After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him.
V28. And Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.
V29. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.
V30.But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
V31. Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
V32. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
If we as Christians refuse to sit with sinners, how will we ever draw them to Christ?
You should not be fearful that a sinner will convert you or convince you to sin, it should, however, be a joy for you in knowing you can convince a sinner to come to Christ.
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