Scripture to Read: Luke 15:1
Our Lord Jesus Christ came to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and that was modeled throughout His ministry here on earth. As God had Luke record Jesus’ ministry, we read in Luke 15:1, “Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.” The tax collectors in the days of Jesus were pretty much hated by the Jews. They were seen as partners with Rome, and they were hated because they profited from injustice. Roman taxes were tied to an unpopular foreign power, and because extortion and corruption were common among tax-collectors, most Jews saw them as morally compromised. So-called “sinners” were labeled, not for committing one particular wrong, but most often it functioned as a broad category for those who lived lives outside of any kind of religious life. Jews used the term “sinners” to define people who were seen as not keeping the law. This included habits considered unclean or not aligned with accepted religious boundaries, but these were the people drawn to Jesus. Jesus never backed away from speaking the truth, but He spoke the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), which is evident by the people wanting to hear His teaching. God desires that we continually reach the lost around us, leading them to know and follow Jesus. And like our Lord, we must love every lost soul, and as we share the Gospel of Christ, we must speak His truth in love as we also continue to grow in our own intimacy with our Lord and His Word.
Challenge & Application
Why were sinners and tax collectors drawn to Christ and His teaching?
How can we more effectively love the lost people we know and share God’s Word in love so they might know and follow Christ as Lord?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!