25. Why Jesus Came
Luke 5:27-32
Remember with me, for just a moment, when we studied Luke 4. There we saw Jesus reading from the scroll in the synagogue which prophesied the mission of the Messiah: to "proclaim good news to the poor...to proclaim liberty to the captives...and to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” Jesus has been doing these things wherever He traveled. He has bestowed grace upon a demon-possessed man, a leper, a paralytic and—in today's text––a tax collector. The attitude of Jesus toward these people was in complete contrast to the attitude of the religious people of that day. Those whom they rejected, He accepted. Those whom they despised, He loved. Those whom they avoided, Jesus sought out.
Jesus continually shows His disciples, and us, what it means to be fishers-of-men. We must go where the fish are. Someone has said, "Fishers of men cast their nets where the fish are most hungry". Many today are hungry, spiritually sick, and desiring to know about Jesus Christ. Our study today shows us that no one is to be considered outside the boundaries of God's love, healing, and concern.
-Pastor Terry