Wednesday Evening Bible Study

September 20, 2000

Introduction

We’re still at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.  He has called Peter, James, and John to follow Him.  He’s promised to make them fishers of men.

(Luke 5:11 KJV)  And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Luke 5

:27-32 Calling Levi

:27  And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.

Levi – also known as “Matthew”, the one who would write the gospel of Matthew.

publican – a Jew who was employed by the Roman government to collect taxes for Rome.  They were allowed to collect more than they were required to give to Rome, and were allowed to keep the extra for themselves.

It was extremely rare to find a tax collector who was honest.  Apparently they found a monument built to a tax collector during the times of the Romans, a monument because he was the rare, honest tax collector.

The Jews even made laws so that a tax collector could not enter into a synagogue.

follow – akoloutheo (“union” + “road”) – to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him; to join one as a disciple, become or be his disciple

:28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.

Levi left his job at the office, left it all behind and followed Jesus.

:29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.

Levi had invited his friends to meet Jesus.  He threw a party so others could meet this one who has changed his life.

:30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?

scribes – those who had the job of making copies of the Scriptures.  They were experts in the Scriptures.

Pharisees – the religious sect of Jews that believed in supernatural things, angels, the resurrection.  They believed in the inspiration of the Scriptures and lived their lives strictly according to the Scriptures and according to the traditions of their rabbis on how they were to live.

murmured – gogguzo – to murmur, mutter, grumble, say anything against in a low tone; of the cooing  of doves; of those who confer secretly together; of those who discontentedly complain

eating and drinking – In eastern thought, the practice of eating with another person is a way in which you grow closer to them, in which you become “one” with them.  You both eat of the same bread, you are both nourished by the same thing.  For the Pharisees, they did not want to become “one” with sinful people.

:31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.

whole – hugiaino – to be sound, to be well, to be in good health

sick – kakos – miserable, to be ill; improperly, wrongly; to speak ill of, revile, one

Jesus is a doctor for sinners.

We need to be careful about falling into this same habit of not eating with sinners.  Jesus specializes in sinners.  That’s what He does.

Lesson

Go to where the “sinners” are.

I think we need to rethink some things from time to time.  Jesus went to a “sinner party”.  I think we need to think of some better ways of taking the church out to the people.

I’ve heard of guys who have legitimate ministries going into bars to witness to people.  Not to drink with them, but to minister to them.

We visited a church on our vacation that was holding a “Luau” out on the beach for their church service that particular Sunday.  The pastor told me that they hold church outside at different public places four times a year to get the people used to the idea of the church going outside the confines of their own building.  I like that idea.

:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

righteous – dikaios – righteous, observing divine laws; in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God

sinners – hamartolos – devoted to sin, a sinner; not free from sin; pre-eminently sinful, especially wicked

repentance – metanoia – a change of mind, as it appears to one who repents, of a purpose he has formed or of something he has done

Lesson

Transforming Love

He loves you just as you are. 

But He loves you too much to let you stay that way.

(John 8:1-11 KJV)  Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. {2} And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. {3} And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, {4} They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. {5} Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? {6} This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. {7} So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. {8} And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. {9} And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. {10} When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? {11} She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

He was willing to stand up for this woman.  He was willing to say, “Neither do I condemn thee”.  But He loved her enough to say, “Go, and sin no more”.

:33-39  New things

:33 And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?

fast – nesteuo – to abstain as a religious exercise from food and drink: either entirely, if the fast lasted but a single day, or from customary and choice nourishment, if it continued several days

often – puknos – thick, dense, compact; in reference to time; frequently, often, recurring; vigorously, diligently; often, more frequently, the oftener

prayers – deesis – need, indigence, want, privation, penury; a seeking, asking, entreating, entreaty to God or to man

The Pharisees had a tradition of fasting two days a week.

Some people have this idea that for religion to be genuine, you must be miserable.  The more miserable you are, the more religious you must be.

:34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?

bridechamber – numphon – the chamber containing the bridal bed, the bridal chamber; of the friends of the bridegroom whose duty it was to provide and care for whatever pertained to the bridal chamber, i.e. whatever was needed for the due celebration of the nuptials; the room in which the marriage ceremonies are held

In Jesus’ day, when a couple was married, there would be a two week long party.  There would be a party for a week before the marriage, and a party the week after the marriage.  You do lots of eating at those parties.

:35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

It’s not that fasting was wrong.  It’s just that it wasn’t the right thing to do at that moment.

Jesus was with them.  It was time for parties, not fasting.

There was a day when Jesus would be taken away from them, arrested and put to death, and they would be fasting.

Lesson

Learn to do what’s appropriate for the moment.

We like to be people of habit.

We like things to stay the same, all the time.  It’s more comfortable that way.

Illustration

A sign on the Alaskan highway reads:

Choose your rut carefully -- you'll be in it for the next 200 miles.

:36 And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.

The idea is this:  You have two pieces of clothing, one new, one old.  In order to fix a hole in the old piece of clothing, you tear out a piece from the new to fix it.  You’re going to have two problems.  First, you’ll now have a hole in the newer garment, and second, the new piece isn’t going to match the old garment very well, and in the wash it may even shrink and cause more problems.

The idea behind the parable:

Be careful about trying to patch up something old that’s broken with something new.

Jesus didn’t come to just patch up the Pharisee’s broken down form of religion.

He came to start a whole new thing, a way in which mankind was able to know God personally.

Lesson

Be ready for God’s “new things”

God likes to do “new things”, but we need to be in a place to see and receive them.

(Isa 43:18-19 KJV)  Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. {19} Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

:37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.

burst – rhegnumi – to rend, burst or break asunder, break up, break through

spilled – ekcheo – to pour out, shed forth

:38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.

bottles – askos – a leathern bag or bottle, in which water or wine was kept

In the ancient process of making wine, the newly squeezed grape juice was stored in leather bags to ferment.  As new wine ferments, carbon dioxide gas is built up as the sugar in the grape juice is broken down. 

A new wineskin will be flexible and be able to stretch with the pressure of the built up gas.  But if the wineskin is old, it will be stiffer, and as the gas pressure from a new wine is building up, the wineskin will burst.

:39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

As wine is aged, the acidity in the wine goes down.

What’s Jesus trying to say here?

When a person gets used to the taste of fine aged wine, they don’t like the bitter taste of a lesser aged wine.

When people get used to the taste of religion the “old way”, it’s hard to adjust to doing things a “newer” way.

Lesson

Blessed are the flexible.

May God keep us from becoming old, stiff, and rigid.  May we not be closed to God doing a “new” thing in a “new” way.

We don’t want to do “new” things just for the sake of “newness”.  Some churches are always looking for the latest and newest fad to come around.  But we want to be willing to do things in a way that God might lead us.

Back in the late 60’s, it was Kay Smith who began to develop a burden for the hippies.  She and Chuck would take walks down at the beach and pray that God would help them reach these kids.  When kids started getting saved, they faced a lot of criticism for trying new things.  They were criticized for singing simple choruses instead of hymns.  They were criticized for bringing contemporary music into the church.  They were criticized for not demanding the kids to cut their hair.

Now, we take some of these things for granted.  But I wonder if we aren’t all getting a lot older, and if we’ve lost a little of the vision of reaching the next generation.  I know that I cringe when I listen to some of the music the kids listen to. 

I want to be careful that I don’t let my own “refined” styles and “excellent” tastes keep me from appreciating the new wine.