Some of the scribes who saw Jesus heal a man sick of the palsy and also forgave the man of his sins accused Jesus of blaspheming within their hearts. Jesus knew their thoughts and asked why think this evil of him in their hearts? Jesus told the scribes it is just as easy to forgive the sins of man as it is to heal because the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins and to heal the sick. The man who was sick of palsy arose and went into his house. There were multitudes of other people who marveled and glorified God, who had given such power as this to men.



As Jesus walked away from this group of people he saw a man named Matthew and told him to follow after him. Matthew arose and followed him. As Jesus sat down to eat in the house, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him along with his disciples.

The Pharisees saw this and asked the disciples why does your Master sit and eat with publicans and sinners? Jesus overheard their question and said people who are whole do not need a physician, however, people who are sick do need the help of a physician. Jesus said at this time he had not come to call the righteous. In other words, his mission was not to only sit, eat and drink with the righteous of the land as he was, but his mission was to call sinners to repentance, therefore, he must mingle and dwell within the presence of those sinners.

In these words of Jesus we learn that he feels sinners and publicans are people who are actually ?sick,? and need the help of a physician. Their sickness is their unrighteousness. Jesus was sent especially to ?Heal? this type of sickness. So why would he hide himself from the very people who were in need of him?

How many times have you seen a sect or ?click? of people who call themselves ?righteous,? and God's elect, but stick together and will not allow anyone outside their little congregation or click of people to actually become a part of them. Their services surround each other. They beg and cry more for healing of their own physical ailments than the healing of people's sins. It is my opinion not much in accomplished in these crowds of people that is truly in the name of Jesus. They seem to think if they go where the ?sick? sinner people are, they might get themselves into trouble, and they are just better off to hide themselves away to worship God and wait for his coming. They actually want little or nothing at all to do with sinner people. Many of them have no mission or plan to bring into their circle of friends those who are in sin, and will openly criticize anyone who strays out of their group, saying such things just as the Pharisees said to Jesus: ?Now why would you have fellowship with an old drug addict or alcoholic??

I feel like these types of people are just as much in sin as those they are afraid to have contact with. They are ?white collar? Christians. Jesus was sent into the prisons to speak to the evil spirits there. Many ?white collar? Christians of today, who call themselves the true elect of God, will not go pass their own little click of church goers, much less, go into the prisons seeking out those who need to hear the gospel.

Jesus goes on to speak riddles concerning people who put a new piece of cloth onto an old garment. He says this just does not look right, because the older parts of the garment will just take away from the look of new piece added. And he said it is not appropriate to put new wine into old bottles. The bottles will probably break and the wine will just run out. New wine must be put into new bottles so they both are preserved.

I think the above sayings refer to people who try to cover up an ?unclean? heart with a new, clean outer garment. The look achieved is still something just not right and unprofitable. People who try to put old wine into new bottles are the same as those still trying to be something on the outside to others that they are truly not on the inside. They try to put more and more on of the look of righteousness without the true clean heart inside. There will come a time when who they really are will come bursting through and expose the ?old person still inside? that they are trying to hide.

It is better to just not wear a hypocrite shoe, be clean on the inside, so you can continue to grow spiritually, otherwise, there will always be something about your bottle that is just not right, just waiting to be exposed, just waiting to burst through and break proving it was not a new bottle after all.

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? 2007 Connie Limon. All Rights Reserved