Saturday，12 June 2021
Title: Jesus is the Lord of the sinners
Author: Pastor Johnson Chong
Translator: Irene Hong

Mark 2:17 Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Mark 2:13-17 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to Him, and He began to teach them. As He walked along, He saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed Him. While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Him and His disciples, for there were many who followed Him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked His disciples: “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

There are not many people in the world who are truly healthy, and there are very few righteous people too, but many people do not know that they are sick. Some people are self-righteous, like the Pharisees and the teachers of the law at that time, so they did not feel the need for a doctor and refused to listen to the calling of The Lord, but The Lord came to the world to seek and save the lost. He was full of mercy and compassion for sinners. At that time, tax collectors and prostitutes were the most despised, yet they entered into the Kingdom of God before the priests and the elders. What is the reason for this?

This is because the tax collectors and sinners all approached Jesus to listen to His preaching, but the Pharisees and the teachers of the law privately argued that He received sinners and ate with them, so the Lord told them three stories, namely the search for the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. The Lord Jesus is the good shepherd, looking for the lost sheep everywhere. He called Matthew at the tax collector’s booth and Zacchaeus on the mulberry tree. He also dined and stayed at the house of the two tax collectors. He was not afraid of people’s comments, and His heart is full of compassion because two people had repented and all the angels in heaven rejoice. He sat by the well in Samaria, and He wrote on the ground to save two sinning women and this filled the heavens with joy. No wonder the guilty woman was crying behind Jesus and her tears wet Jesus’s feet. She dried His feet with her hair, then kissed Jesus’ feet with her mouth, and put perfume on His feet. Because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much.

But many times, we are just like the Pharisees—self-righteous and upright; refuse to get close to sinners, have no sympathy, and judge others behind their backs. Our hearts are hard, our feet are lazy, which means there is no one to seek for the many lost sheep, many tax collectors and sinners are unable to hear the truth of God, many prodigal sons are still wondering outside, and a lot of money is still buried in the ground. There is no joy in heaven, and there is no happiness in our Father’s heart. We are just like the eldest son who cannot understand the heart of the father. The one who should repent now is the eldest son, the Pharisee!

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, please forgive our transgressions. We want to confess our sins and repent before you. Indeed, among us, many times we have committed the same sins as the Pharisees— self-righteous and self-conceit. Lord, we thank you because you did not treat us as we did, and you hide your face to not see our sins. Lord, please fill us with your spirit now, be merciful to us and change us so that we may become useful vessels for your blessing. Thank you and we pray in the holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen!

每日灵粮
星期六, 2021年6月12日
题目：耶穌是罪人的主
作者：张胜牧师

马可福音2 :17 “耶稣说健康的人用不着医生，有病的人才用得着，我来本不是召义人，乃是召罪人。”

13耶稣又出到海边去，众人都就了他来，他便教训他们。14耶稣经过的时候，看见亚勒腓的儿子利未，坐在税关上，就对他说，你跟从我来。他就起来跟从了耶稣。15耶稣在利未家里坐席的时候，有好些税吏和罪人，与耶稣并门徒一同坐席。因为这样的人多，他们也跟随耶稣。16法利赛人中的文士，看见耶稣和罪人并税吏一同吃饭，就对他门徒说，他和税吏并罪人一同吃喝吗？17耶稣听见，就对他们说，健康的人用不着医生，有病的人才用得着。我来本不是召义人，乃是召罪人。（马可福音2 :13~17）

世界上真正健康的人不多，义人也很少，不过许多人不知道自己有病，有些人自以为义，像当时的法利赛人和文士一样，所以他们没有感觉到需要医生，也不肯听主的呼召，但主到世上来是要寻找拯救失丧的人，祂对罪人满了慈悲和怜悯，当时最为人所看不起的就是税吏和娼妓，然而他们竟比祭司和长老先进神的国。这是甚麽原因呢？

这是因为众税吏和罪人都挨近耶稣要听祂讲道，而法利赛人和文士却私自议论说，祂接待罪人又同他们吃饭，所以主讲了三个故事就是寻羊、失钱和浪子的故事。主耶稣就是那位仁慈的牧人，到处寻找那只失迷的羊。祂曾呼召在税关的马太和桑树上的撒该，到这两个税吏家去吃饭住宿。祂不怕人的议论，心中满了慈怜，因为得到两个人悔改，天上的众使者都要欢喜。祂曾去坐在撒玛利亚的井旁，也曾在地上画字使两个犯罪的妇人得救，叫天上充满喜乐。难怪那个有罪的女人在耶稣的背後哭，眼泪湿了耶稣的脚，又用头发擦干，以嘴连连亲耶稣的脚，并抹上香膏。她的赦免多，所以爱多。

可是许多时候我们竟像法利赛人一样，自以为义，自鸣清高。不肯挨近罪人，没有同情的心，反而私下议论。心是硬的，脚是懒的，以至多少迷失的羊无人寻找，多少税吏和罪人不能听见主的道，许多浪子仍在外飘荡，许多银钱仍埋在土中。天上没有欢喜，天父的心没有快乐，我们像大儿子一样没有体会父亲的心，现在应该悔改的是大儿子，是法利赛人！

祷告：
亲爱的主耶稣，求祢赦免我们的过犯，我们要在祢面前认罪悔改。的确在我们当中，许多时候我们竟像法利赛人一样，犯同样的罪，自以为义，自鸣清高。主啊，我们感谢祢，因祢没有按照我们所做的对待我们，祢也掩面不看我们的罪。主啊，求祢的灵现在充满我们，恩待和改变我们，成为祢祝福有用的器皿。感谢祷告祈求，是奉靠主耶穌基督的圣名，阿們！