October 2 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Luke 5:27-39:

²⁷And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
²⁸And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
²⁹And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
³⁰But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
³¹And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
³²I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
³³And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?
³⁴And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
³⁵But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
³⁶And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.
³⁷And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.
³⁸But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.
³⁹No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

Devotional

The scribes and Pharisees found fault with Jesus, because he ate and drank with publicans and sinners. Thereupon Jesus told them very plainly why He had come into the world, namely, to save sinners. Not to introduce a new order of things; not to im­prove outward conditions in life not even to show people a better way of life, aside from the blessings of the cross; but as Paul says, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." For Jesus that meant suffering and dying, making full atonment for our sins, according to the Scriptures, in order to obtain for us righteousness and life.

The scribes and Pharisees were not sick. They trusted in them­selves as being righteous and despised others, as the Pharisee in the temple clearly showed. He boasted of his good works, and looked with disdain upon the publican. But Jesus said "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Christ came to call sinners, not to eat and drink with them, and leave them undisturbed in their sins; but He called them to repentance, that He might forgive them their sins, and cleanse them from all unrighteousness. He is the great physician to heal the diseases of body and soul. The hungry (the poor and needy laden with sins) He fills with good things and the rich (the self righteous) He sends empty away.

Prayer

Merciful God and Father, we thank Thee, that Thou hast revealed Thine infinite love to us in Christ Jesus; that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us; that where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. O Father, we must confess that we have all grievously sinned against Thee; but we come unto Thee just as we are, confessing our sins, and trusting in the merits of our Savior. Grant us the assurance that our sins are forgiven, and enable us to rejoice in Thee through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we were reconciled unto Thee. And unto Thee be the praise now and for ever. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: 1 Tim. 1:15; Luke 18:11; Matt. 5:20; 1 John 1:9; Luke 1:53.

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