2024/01/05 – New Disciples & Healings

Reading: Luke 5 – New Disciples & Healings:

Daily-Devotional:

One day Jesus was standing by the Sea of Galilee teaching people. The crowds pressed in on Him to better hear the Word of God. He saw two boats at the shore; the fishermen were washing their nets. He got into Simon’s boat and asked him to put out a little way from the shore, where he continued teaching.

When he finished speaking, he asked Simon to go out into the deep water and cast his nets for a catch. Simon said, “Master, we worked all night but caught nothing. If you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they did this, they caught a huge number of fish, so many their nets began to break. They called their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, so they began to sink.

Simon Peter, when he saw this, fell down at Jesus’s knees, and said, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” He and the sons of Zebedee, James and John who were his partners, were amazed at this catch of fish. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they brought the  boats to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.

Verse 12: Once, there was a man covered with Leprosy; when he saw Jesus, he bowed, face to the ground, and said, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out His hand, touched him, and said, “I do choose. Be made clean” Immediately, the leprosy left him, and Jesus told him to go to the priests and offer the required sacrifice.

One day, he was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were nearby. They had come from the villages of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal. Just then, some men came bringing a paralyzed man on a bed. They tried to bring him through the door, but the room was so crowded they could not enter.

They went on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down into the room on his bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” The scribes and Pharisees began to question, “Who is this who speaks blasphemously? No one can forgive sins but God alone.”

Perceiving their questionings, He said to them, “Why do you have such questions in your hearts? Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? But so you will know the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – he said to the paralyzed man – “Stand up, take your bed, and go to your home.” Immediately, he stood, took his bed, and went home, glorifying God. All who saw it were amazed, and said, “We have seen strange things today.”

After this, He saw a tax collector named Levi in the tax booth. He said to him, “Follow me.” He got up, left everything and followed Jesus. Levi gave a banquet for Jesus in his house; there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others at the table.

The Pharisees and their scribes complained to the disciples, saying, “Why do you eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Then they said, “John’s disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink.” Jesus said, “You cannot make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? When the bridegroom is no longer with them, they will fast.”

This is a passage we prefer to overlook. We are more given to feasting than to fasting. Consider the injustice of world hunger. Some live in astonishing luxury; others subsist in staggering poverty, helpless to save their children from lingering death by starvation.

Denny Kruse, a missionary to Ukraine, and Stan Brian, a member of EEM, got off a plane in Kyiv where they met a Ukrainian friend Andre. His ideas often challenged their traditional ways of seeing the world; they looked forward to a thought-provoking visit with him. They went to a café and offered to buy his lunch. Andre politely refused, saying, “It’s Monday. I’m not eating today.” We teased him, “But you’re already too thin! Why not eat something with us?”

They continued to press him until he stunned them with his reason for his abstinence. “On Mondays, I fast to be in solidarity with those in the world who have no food!” They were amazed that Andre wanted to share their hunger. He voluntarily takes a small portion of their pain and saves a little money to help. Do his meager efforts make a significant impact on the global problem of hunger? They said this is the wrong question! The question should be, “What if everyone were like Andre – a part of the solution?”

Could you and I become more like Andre?