Day 25 - Luke 5:27-39

27 Some time later, Jesus walked along the street and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in his tax office.

Jesus: Follow Me.

28 And Levi did. He got up from his desk, left everything (just as the fishermen had), and followed Jesus.

29 Shortly after this, Levi invited his many friends and associates, including many tax collectors, to his home for a large feast in Jesus’ honor. Everyone sat at a table together.

30 The Pharisees and their associates, the religious scholars, got the attention of some of Jesus’ disciples.

Pharisees (in low voices): What’s wrong with you? Why are you eating and drinking with tax collectors and other immoral people?

Jesus (answering for the disciples): 31 Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. 32 I haven’t come for the pure and upstanding; I’ve come to call notorious sinners to rethink their lives and turn to God.

Pharisees: 33 Explain to us why You and Your disciples are so commonly found partying like this, when our disciples—and even the disciples of John—are known for fasting rather than feasting, and for saying prayers rather than drinking wine.

Jesus: 34 Imagine there’s a wedding going on. Is that the time to tell the guests to ignore the bridegroom and fast? 35 Sure, there’s a time for fasting—when the bridegroom has been taken away. 36 Look, nobody tears up a new garment to make a patch for an old garment. If he did, the new patch would shrink and rip the old, and the old garment would be worse off than before. 37 And nobody takes freshly squeezed juice and puts it into old, stiff wineskins. If he did, the fresh wine would make the old skins burst open, and both the wine and the wineskins would be ruined. 38 New demands new—new wine for new wineskins. 39 Anyway, those who’ve never tasted the new wine won’t know what they’re missing; they’ll always say, “The old wine is good enough for me!”



Tori's Comments:
"And Levi did." I love how this translation reflects such a simplicity. Following Jesus isn't simple from the world's perspective. It means dying to yourself daily, choosing a life of sacrifice and selfless love when the sinful human nature craves everything but. But the simplicity is in this: when you really choose to follow Jesus, when you actually leave everything you once sustained yourself through, THAT is when it is simple. Because it is then that you encounter the all-encompassing love of God, and when you fix your eyes on that, nothing else matters. Suddenly, it is just you and God and God and you and this path He leads you by the hand down which is full of adventures and an abundance of the fruits of the Spirit. Yes, it can be hard, but when you realize you're not alone and that the God of the universe is right next to you every second you find the strength to bear it. And all it takes to join this love story God invites you on is a simple yes. Just get up from your desk, leave everything, and follow him.



Terrie's Comments:
Are we living with the old wine saying it is good enough for me when the new has come and is available to us?  What are we missing when we choose to live in bondage to the law when we can live in the freedom of the Holy Spirit?  Jesus came to set us free from that bondage.  The New Covenant has now come!






We have a praise music list that we add to on a regular basis. You can find the link to it in the right hand column of this blog or by scrolling to the bottom of this page. Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!