| Chapter 9 Go Ye into the Highways |
Jesus scorned the self-righteous but had great compassion toward
those of Israel who, trapped in sin, desperately sought healing and
God's forgiveness. Rejected by their Israeli countrymen, the
publicans, sinners, harlots, and those whose illnesses were
attributed to sin, ie. lepers, the blind and those with physical defects
were accepted into his company—much to the distaste of the
Pharisees. This chapter will briefly illustrate Jesus's compassion
and service toward these misfit jews; elevating them and giving
them renewed hope.
The publicans, Jewish tax collectors, paid the Romans a fee for the
privilege of collecting customs and taxes from their fellow
countrymen. They were hated by the Jews and equated in the
same breath with sinners. They earned for themselves a corrupt
reputation by appropriating more funds then were due them.
Nevertheless, Jesus had amongst his disciples a publican.
It was Matthew the Publican probably the same person as Levi the
son of Alphaeus. In Mark 2:14, Levi left the receipt of customs and
followed Jesus. (John, the Baptist had said earlier that the
publicans remained without sin as long as no more money than that
was fair and legal were received — even so the Jews regarded
Levi as a sinner, though he may have done no wrong.) When the
scribes and Pharisees saw Jesus eating with Levi and his
associates, they asked Jesus's disciples why he would be eating
with people they considered to be sinners. In Mark 2:17, Jesus
gives a poignant reply.
"When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole
have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
The ironic part about this saying is that the Pharisees revelling in
their own righteousness didn't know that they had a much greater
need for the "doctor" than had the publicans. Jesus was not saying
that they were too genuinely righteous for his ministry, he was
saying their self-righteousness prevented him from ministering life
to them. These were spoken of in Isaiah 64:6:
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are
as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like
the wind, have taken us away."
Another parable, which Jesus told in Luke 18:9, shows how their
self-righteousness and critical nature cut off God's blessings.
"And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in
themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and
the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with
himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as
his eyes into heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be
merciful to me a sinner.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the
other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he
that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
Like the publican, other sinners looked for forgiveness from the Son
of God. Jesus readily forgave them with the condition that they sin
no more. In Luke 7:39, a Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to
his home and as they sat down to eat, a woman who had followed
Jesus washed the feet of Jesus with tears. Not having a towel, she
wiped off the tears with her hair. She then proceeded to kiss his
feet and to anoint them with an expensive oil. The Pharisee, aware
of the woman's reputation, began to doubt Jesus. He thought that if
Jesus was, in fact, a prophet, he must know the reputation of the
woman. Jesus, being aware of the Pharisee's attitude, told another
parable.
"There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed
five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing
to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of
them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that
he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast
rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon,
Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest
me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears,
and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no
kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to
kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this
woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto
thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much:
but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said
unto her, Thy sins are forgiven."
Included in Jesus's entourage was Mary Magdalene, who had been
possessed by seven devils; and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, the evil
Herod's steward. There were healed lepers, political zealots,
publicans, probably every conceivable type of sinner. They were
forgiven and because of this loved Jesus immensely.
Like in the parable of the marriage feast, these people were called
out from the highways. They were the off-scouring of Israel, re
jected, as lost, by the religious establishment. However, Jesus
placed a higher value on their lives because their hearts were
precious. He likened them to the one lost sheep among a hundred.
He once again addresses the Pharisees in Luke 15:2-7.
"And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man
receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable
unto them saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if
he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the
wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth his friends and neighbors,
saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep
which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven
over one sinner that that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine
just persons, which need no repentance."
Just before telling the parable concerning the Wedding Feast,
Jesus told the parable of the two sons, one who did the will of his
father and the other who said he would but didn't. Again he
addressed the Pharisees. Matthew 21: 31-32:
Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans
and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye
believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him:
and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might
believe him.
To Jesus, there were two types of people in Israel: firstly the
ungodly religious leaders whose ancestors killed the prophets and
secondly the humble in heart--those who loved God but because of
their carnal nature were hopelessly separated from Him. Those
humble ones saw Jesus as their bridge spanning the infinitely wide
gulf between God and man.
those of Israel who, trapped in sin, desperately sought healing and
God's forgiveness. Rejected by their Israeli countrymen, the
publicans, sinners, harlots, and those whose illnesses were
attributed to sin, ie. lepers, the blind and those with physical defects
were accepted into his company—much to the distaste of the
Pharisees. This chapter will briefly illustrate Jesus's compassion
and service toward these misfit jews; elevating them and giving
them renewed hope.
The publicans, Jewish tax collectors, paid the Romans a fee for the
privilege of collecting customs and taxes from their fellow
countrymen. They were hated by the Jews and equated in the
same breath with sinners. They earned for themselves a corrupt
reputation by appropriating more funds then were due them.
Nevertheless, Jesus had amongst his disciples a publican.
It was Matthew the Publican probably the same person as Levi the
son of Alphaeus. In Mark 2:14, Levi left the receipt of customs and
followed Jesus. (John, the Baptist had said earlier that the
publicans remained without sin as long as no more money than that
was fair and legal were received — even so the Jews regarded
Levi as a sinner, though he may have done no wrong.) When the
scribes and Pharisees saw Jesus eating with Levi and his
associates, they asked Jesus's disciples why he would be eating
with people they considered to be sinners. In Mark 2:17, Jesus
gives a poignant reply.
"When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole
have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
The ironic part about this saying is that the Pharisees revelling in
their own righteousness didn't know that they had a much greater
need for the "doctor" than had the publicans. Jesus was not saying
that they were too genuinely righteous for his ministry, he was
saying their self-righteousness prevented him from ministering life
to them. These were spoken of in Isaiah 64:6:
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are
as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like
the wind, have taken us away."
Another parable, which Jesus told in Luke 18:9, shows how their
self-righteousness and critical nature cut off God's blessings.
"And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in
themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and
the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with
himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as
his eyes into heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be
merciful to me a sinner.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the
other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he
that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
Like the publican, other sinners looked for forgiveness from the Son
of God. Jesus readily forgave them with the condition that they sin
no more. In Luke 7:39, a Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to
his home and as they sat down to eat, a woman who had followed
Jesus washed the feet of Jesus with tears. Not having a towel, she
wiped off the tears with her hair. She then proceeded to kiss his
feet and to anoint them with an expensive oil. The Pharisee, aware
of the woman's reputation, began to doubt Jesus. He thought that if
Jesus was, in fact, a prophet, he must know the reputation of the
woman. Jesus, being aware of the Pharisee's attitude, told another
parable.
"There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed
five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing
to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of
them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that
he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast
rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon,
Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest
me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears,
and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no
kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to
kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this
woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto
thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much:
but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said
unto her, Thy sins are forgiven."
Included in Jesus's entourage was Mary Magdalene, who had been
possessed by seven devils; and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, the evil
Herod's steward. There were healed lepers, political zealots,
publicans, probably every conceivable type of sinner. They were
forgiven and because of this loved Jesus immensely.
Like in the parable of the marriage feast, these people were called
out from the highways. They were the off-scouring of Israel, re
jected, as lost, by the religious establishment. However, Jesus
placed a higher value on their lives because their hearts were
precious. He likened them to the one lost sheep among a hundred.
He once again addresses the Pharisees in Luke 15:2-7.
"And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man
receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable
unto them saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if
he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the
wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth his friends and neighbors,
saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep
which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven
over one sinner that that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine
just persons, which need no repentance."
Just before telling the parable concerning the Wedding Feast,
Jesus told the parable of the two sons, one who did the will of his
father and the other who said he would but didn't. Again he
addressed the Pharisees. Matthew 21: 31-32:
Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans
and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye
believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him:
and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might
believe him.
To Jesus, there were two types of people in Israel: firstly the
ungodly religious leaders whose ancestors killed the prophets and
secondly the humble in heart--those who loved God but because of
their carnal nature were hopelessly separated from Him. Those
humble ones saw Jesus as their bridge spanning the infinitely wide
gulf between God and man.
Copyright Pete Lounsbury 1994
| (The publicans and harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you!) |