Scripture to Read: Luke 15:2
Any time God is at work, we can be assured that the spiritual forces of wickedness (Ephesians 6:12) are also at work seeking to destroy what God is doing to reach people with the Gospel of Christ so they can know and follow Jesus wholeheartedly. We see that, as we read in Luke 15:2, “Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’” The Pharisees and the scribes hated the fact that people wanted to listen to Jesus and learn from Him. Most Pharisees treated holiness as something everyone must protect, and the only way to protect that holiness was to distance oneself from people who were considered unclean, which included tax collectors and sinners. So, when these sinners and tax collectors sat with Jesus to learn from Him, the Pharisees and the scribes judged Jesus for not separating Himself from them as they thought a holy teacher should. The Pharisees and the scribes were so judgmental that they thought the sinners and tax collectors were beyond being transformed. In their minds, the tax collectors and sinners who were listening to Jesus were simply there to be entertained and not interested in real repentance. The Pharisees and the scribes had already written them off. But Jesus emphasized God the Father’s love, and He welcomed all who were willing to listen to Him. He taught them and called them to repent and confess their sins. The Pharisees and scribes hated that Jesus’ grace reached people whom they believed should never be included in God’s kingdom.
Challenge & Application
Why were the Pharisees and scribes so angry that Jesus accepted tax collectors and sinners to eat with Him and listen to Him?
What must we do to never fall into the trap of seeing anyone as not being worthy of God’s grace, love, and forgiveness?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!