Mark 2:15-17 "And it came to pass, that,
as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together
with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.
(16) And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans
and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and
drinketh with publicans and sinners? (17) When Jesus heard it, he
saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they
that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance."
I have to admit to you this morning that I am so thankful that Jesus receives sinners. I'm so thankful that Jesus allowed the publicans and sinners to sit down with Him at the table. For you see, that gives me hope that Jesus receives me also. When I say also, I do not mean that I am one iota better than the chief of sinners. It just means that I have peace in knowing that Jesus does not require perfection before He will allow us to sit with Him. The publicans were the despised of the world. They were normally a greedy bunch of people when they collected taxes. The sinners - well, we all understand what the sinners were.
Then you have the Pharisees. They looked down on everyone else. No one else could meet their standards. In fact, they could not even meet their own standards. They just acted the part when they were in public. Of course, they looked down on Jesus for sitting with "those kinds of people". Does He not know what those people are? You would never catch ME sitting with them in public! Jesus knew what they were saying and what they were thinking. As always, Jesus had words to say. "They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Let's combine these verses with the previous verses concerning Jesus teaching the people. In order to be teachable, a person must be willing to admit he has something to learn. You can't teach anyone anything when they already know everything. Right? The Pharisees saw themselves in need of nothing; therefore, Jesus had nothing to give them. The Publicans and sinners were in need. They had an emptiness inside that could not be filled with money nor sinful actions. Jesus was the One to fill that need - and He did.
This morning, are you filling an emptiness inside? Is there something that has you in its hold and you cannot shake it nor break it from you? Ask Jesus to sit down with you and fill that need. I'm so thankful that Jesus sits and eats and drinks with publicans and sinners. Aren't you?
I have to admit to you this morning that I am so thankful that Jesus receives sinners. I'm so thankful that Jesus allowed the publicans and sinners to sit down with Him at the table. For you see, that gives me hope that Jesus receives me also. When I say also, I do not mean that I am one iota better than the chief of sinners. It just means that I have peace in knowing that Jesus does not require perfection before He will allow us to sit with Him. The publicans were the despised of the world. They were normally a greedy bunch of people when they collected taxes. The sinners - well, we all understand what the sinners were.
Then you have the Pharisees. They looked down on everyone else. No one else could meet their standards. In fact, they could not even meet their own standards. They just acted the part when they were in public. Of course, they looked down on Jesus for sitting with "those kinds of people". Does He not know what those people are? You would never catch ME sitting with them in public! Jesus knew what they were saying and what they were thinking. As always, Jesus had words to say. "They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Let's combine these verses with the previous verses concerning Jesus teaching the people. In order to be teachable, a person must be willing to admit he has something to learn. You can't teach anyone anything when they already know everything. Right? The Pharisees saw themselves in need of nothing; therefore, Jesus had nothing to give them. The Publicans and sinners were in need. They had an emptiness inside that could not be filled with money nor sinful actions. Jesus was the One to fill that need - and He did.
This morning, are you filling an emptiness inside? Is there something that has you in its hold and you cannot shake it nor break it from you? Ask Jesus to sit down with you and fill that need. I'm so thankful that Jesus sits and eats and drinks with publicans and sinners. Aren't you?