Devotion:
Read Matthew 9:10-13.
Matthew was the Greek name of a Jew named Levi who collected taxes from his fellow Jews for the Roman government. Just doing that as his occupation would have caused Matthew to be viewed as a traitor by his Jewish people. But tax collectors were notoriously crooked, bidding on the right to collect as much as they could from Jewish subjects, paying the Romans what was actually due the government, and keeping the rest for themselves. The people knew this but were powerless to resist, so tax collectors were generally despised.
When Jesus, the rabbi, called Matthew to follow him and then ate at Matthew’s house with other “tax collectors and sinners,” the highly religious and very judgemental Pharisees questioned his actions. Jesus responded that he, like a doctor coming to heal the sick instead of those who are healthy, had come to call sinners instead of those who are righteous. The Pharisees would soon learn that Jesus could have said this more explicitly as “those who realize they are sinners instead of those who are self-righteous.” The church is called to reach out to those whom we see as disconnected. This means we are to have some unchurched friends to whom we are called and sent.
Personal Worship Option:
As you pray today, give thanks that God loved us and sent God’s Son to die for us while we were yet sinners! Think about someone you know who feels disconnected from God and the church. Pray for a way to connect them to the love of Christ. Remember, that is what Jesus did time after time!
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