Jesus then calls His first disciples, after a clear object lesson. They would become fishers of people, after having seen how obedience to Christ's command allowed them to catch an unusually huge amount of fish even though they had caught nothing earlier in the evening. And, they "left everything and followed Him".
Also, once again, God's Holiness is clear, as Simon Peter falls "at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”"
Jesus continued His ministry by healing a man with leprosy, not only physically; but also by reaching out and touching him and having him go to the priest to give testimony and offer sacrifice, it would've encompassed emotional and social healing as well. Then when He healed the paralytic, it was not only physical but also spiritual, through the forgiveness of sins. In both cases, the faith of the person being healed was also shown. Also, something that Luke seems to point out is that when Jesus heals the effect is immediate and total.
In the passage, Jesus was demonstrating that He is the Messiah to the religious leaders,
testimony to the priests, and miracle of healing the paralytic to
authenticate forgiving of sins in the presence of the Pharisees and
scribes. It is okay to be skeptical and to authenticate everything against Scripture, but, where the Pharisees and scribes fell short is that they were unwilling to see the evidence and recognize that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God.
Then Jesus called Levi, a tax collector, to be his disciple. Tax collectors were notorious for being corrupt and greedy and were considered outcasts and sinners; yet Jesus demonstrated that it is those who recognize their need for salvation who will come to him and receive healing. Levi held a great banquet for Jesus and invited all his friends showing his joy in following Jesus and wanting his friends to meet Him and possibly find that joy as well. Just as Peter, James, and John did, Levi also "got up, left everything and followed Him." He later becomes the author of the Gospel of Matthew.
Then Jesus told a parable to teach them that He is bringing them a new covenant that is different from the old customs and restrictions that are being followed by the Pharisees.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
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