Calling the Sinners
‘Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
I have not come to call the righteous but the sinners to repentance”’
(Luke 5:31-32)
Jesus was often criticised by the morally righteous for eating with ‘tax collectors and sinners’,
in other words people that they looked down upon because of their sinful lifestyle.
But Jesus had come precisely for the ones who needed him and so he gladly mixed
with the sinners and taught them the gospel of forgiveness. As part of his call,
he summoned them to repentance, for we are forgiven when we turn to the Lord
and commit our lives to him. This is modelled by Levi, who abandoned tax collecting,
through which he was exploiting other people for gain, to follow Jesus (see Luke 5:27-28).
Of course, the morally upright need to repent also, but they are the ones who often find it hardest.
Question for thought: Who does Jesus call upon to repent?
Loving Lord, we pray this week for the Dioceses of Nambale and Kitui in Kenya with the many
challenges they face to family life which include high unemployment, crime, poverty and food insecurity.
Give the members wisdom and grace with the many initiatives they have.
May they continue to bring God’s word of comfort in these struggles.
We also pray for the members in Armidale who are all online and thank you
for their faithfulness in upholding Christian marriage and family life. Amen.