Luke 5:29-6:11 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. ³⁰ The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling to 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 healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.”

³³ And they said to Him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.” ³⁴ And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the attendants of the groom fast while the groom is with them, can you? ³⁵ But the days will come; and when the groom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” ³⁶ And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the patch from the new garment will not match the old. ³⁷ And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. ³⁸ But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. ³⁹ And no one, after drinking old wine wants new; for he says, ‘The old is fine.’”

6 Now it happened that Jesus was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath, and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. ² But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” ³ And Jesus, answering them, said, “Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, ⁴ how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?” ⁵ And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

⁶ On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught; and a man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷ Now the scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse Him. ⁸ But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward. ⁹ And Jesus said to them, “I ask you whether it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰ And after looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored. ¹¹ But they themselves were filled with senseless rage, and began discussing together what they might do to Jesus.

Many people today are mistaken thinking that Jesus would embrace the sin and immorality of our culture and society today. They believe that because God is a God of love, He surely would at least tolerate, overlook or wink at sin. God’s love for us though is not demonstrated in His acceptance of our sin, but rather Romans 5:8 says: God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. In today’s text it says: And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling to His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.”  Jesus came to redeem us from sin and to call us to repentance. He doesn’t embrace us because He likes or accepts our sin. He embraced the suffering of the cross to free us from sin. How could anyone who even begins to comprehend the sacrifice Jesus made for us, believe that He would embrace the very things that caused Him so much pain? In Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus says: “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” The righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees is not found in adherence to the law. It is found in Christ, who did not nullify the law, but through the cross fulfilled it. The law though is still intact and in force. Romans 6:23 says: The wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. If we choose not to repent and accept God’s gracious gift, His love demonstrated in the death of Jesus on the cross, then our own death will be the wages of our sin.

The text says: Now it happened that Jesus was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath, and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And Jesus, answering them, said, “Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?” And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”  Here’s the thing, the Old Testament is filled with accounts of those who struggled to try to keep the law and failed. Because God’s law regarding sin and death is irrevocable, Jesus came to fulfill the obligation of death for sin. That Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath is more than just that He has authority over it. In truth, when Jesus is our Lord, He is our Sabbath. We either struggle and strive on our own, or we rest in Him. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says: “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.” We cannot find rest if we choose to continue in sin. Rest is in Him who came to call us to repent from our sin.

Thank You heavenly Father, for the demonstration of Your love, the gracious gift of redemption through the cross. Thank You Lord Jesus Christ, my Sabbath rest. Thank You Holy Spirit for convicting me of sin, for guiding me in the way of righteousness and empowering me to walk in it.  Amen.