(9th October 2011) Jesus is a friend of tax collectors and sinners

 

Sermon Summary 20111009

 

Jesus is a friend of tax collectors and "sinners."

Mark 2:13~17

 

 

 

 

Who is Jesus? People have been curious of an existence of 'Jesus Christ'. Particularly we should know who is Jesus because we have worship services on every Sunday as Christians.

According to the beginning of chapter 2 in Mark, there is a story of healing a paralytic. Four men came, bringing to Jesus a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he healed a paralytic. But when law teachers heard Jesus' saying, "Son, your sins are forgiven", they criticised "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" because at that period, all thought every illness is a result from disobedience and sins of the sick. So if a sick is healed, it means God forgives his sin and then he should show priests the appearance of his recovery following the law. Therefore, only God forgives men but now Jesus says to a paralytic that his sin was forgiven. Jesus knew their thought and tell him again 'Get up, take your mat and walk' Seeing his recovery, everyone in the place was amazed and praised God. After this event, Jesus never stop proclaiming the kingdom of God anywhere.

During his activities, Jesus met a person, Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. At that time, tax collectors are from the Levite; they moved to Galilee by force of Rome in the period of Antiocus IV in BC 169. After their moving, they lost their livinghood because they served the works of Holy temple for God. For living, most were employed by Rome as tax collectors. But they lined their own pockets with public funds of their people, the Jew in the process of collecting tax and curried favor with the Rome. In the past, the Levite who served God became collapsed tax collectors who were blamed by their own people and never returned to God.

However, Jesus called a Levi Matthew (see Matthew 9), moreover, he went to Matthew's home and eating, talking, and staying with Matthew and his friends called by tax collectors and sinners. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" This means, "if your teacher, Jesus is truly messiah or savour, it is possible to be with sinners?" In this point, we also are very confused. God is righteous also Jesus is the same because he is the son of God. How is it possible?

Jesus gives me the answers: 1) "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." if we have a illness, we have to find a special doctor for the illness for effective and fast cure. Yes it is. we have to go to Jesus for washing away our sins to move from death to life. Only Jesus can clean our sin in the world! No one can do!

Therefore, all sinners who are in suffering of their sins are humble, poor of hearts, and seriously grief-sticken. Jesus came to such sinners and be with them.

2) Luke 7:41-43 ""Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. one owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said. More forgiven sins more thankful praise! Because of the fact, he was pleasantly willing to be called as " a friend of tax collectors and sinners".(Matthew 11:9)

Who is a true friend? first, he or she is a person who come to me even though everyone refuses me in the world. Second, he or she is a person who understands me to keep silence; without any words, he understands me. This is a great power on us. We must this word!

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:13~14)

He gave us a great love by the cross and his resurrection to make us recover the relationship of God and having a hope of heaven. Whenever we come to, have worship, and remind of church, we have to think the grace of Jesus called by "a friend of tax collectors and sinners" that is to say "our friend".

 

A House of Prayer for All Nations "All Souls for Christ" 2011