Luke

By Joyce Webb 2019

Chapter 5      vs. 27-39

 

Verse 27 Jesus saw a man who collected taxes. They were called “publicans”. They were Jewish men—-who collected taxes from the Jewish people —for the Roman government.

The Roman government had come into Israel and took over the land where the Jewish people lived. The Romans ruled the people now— and they made the Jewish people pay taxes to the Roman government.

The Jewish people hated paying taxes to the Roman government. They hated that the Romans ruled over them.

Another thing that made the people angry—-the Jewish men who collected the taxes—were not honest—-they often told the people that they owed more money than what was true.

The Jewish people knew they were being told a lie, but they could not fight against it.

The man collecting the taxes would send the right amount of tax to the Roman government,—–and then he would keep the extra for himself. Men who collected taxes became rich that way.

The Jewish people hated them—because so many of them were not honest.

Levi was a tax collector. We do not know if he was an honest man or not. The Bible does not say.

When Jesus saw Levi, Jesus called him to come follow him and learn from him and be a disciple.

Vs. 28 Levi got up and followed Jesus.

Vs. 29 Levi made a great supper in his house —-and he invited Jesus and other men, and other tax collectors.

Vs. 30 The Jewish leaders talked about that. They asked Jesus why he would eat with “publicans and sinners”.

The Jewish leaders thought that if Jesus was a holy person and taught about God, he should not be having a meal with sinners and men who were not honest.

Vs. 31, 32 Jesus told the leaders—-people who are healthy do not need a doctor. People who are sick need a doctor.

Jesus told them that he came to preach to sinners— and tell them to repent and follow the right path with God.

Vs. 33 The Jewish leaders said—the disciples of John the Baptist “fast”–go without eating and pray. The disciples of the Jewish leaders –the Pharisees also fast.

But you—you eat and drink—and with sinners.

Vs. 34 Jesus said, When there is a wedding dinner and the bridegroom is there—do the people “fast” and not eat? No, they are there to eat and enjoy their time with the bridegroom.

Vs. 35 After the bridegroom leaves—-then the people will “fast” if they want.

Jesus was saying this—- because he was like the “bridegroom” in the story.

While Jesus was here on earth, teaching and preaching, this was the time to be with Jesus to talk and learn.

Later, when Jesus went away back into heaven —- that would be the time for his followers to “fast”.

Vs. 36 Jesus told a “parable”. A parable is a story with a heavenly meaning.

Jesus said, A person does not use a new piece of cloth to patch an old shirt (clothes). If the material in the shirt is old and worn, it is thin and weak.

If you use a new strong piece of cloth for a patch to cover a hole—-the new strong material will make the old thin material tear more—–then you have a bigger hole.

Vs. 37,38 Another story—you do not put new wine in an old wine skin. Long ago, people did not always have glass bottles—-they used the skin of an animal to make a sack or bag. The wine was put into this bag.

New wine makes bubbles and foam—it makes a airy gas—as the bubbles fill the skin—it would make a thin weak skin to break and the wine would run out.

So new wine needs a new strong skin bag to hold it —so when the bubbles and gas form—it is strong and holds the wine.

Vs. 39 Jesus said No one who drinks old wine, wants to change.

Jesus was telling them that things were about to change.

For thousands of years—-the Jewish people had followed the same Old Testaments laws of worship.

Jesus was here now. He was going to die on a cross to pay the death punishment for sin —-for all men.

He would rise up from the dead—-showing that all who believed in him—would rise from the dead and go into heaven someday. This is called “resurrection”.

As believers—when we die—our spirits go to heaven —our bodies are in the grave.

Some day our bodies will rise up and be changed into a new heavenly body—-and we will live forever in a new heaven and new earth.

See II Corinthians 5:8 “to be absent (away) from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

What do we look like— while we are in heaven —waiting for our resurrected body? I do not know. Our spirits are there enjoying heaven. Guess we will have to wait and see how that is.

Jesus was telling the Jewish leaders that the old ways of worshipping were finished.

Jesus’ dying on the cross changed it all.

We would not have to follow the old ways of animal sacrifices.

People did not have to bring an animal to an altar and have it killed for their sin.

The punishment for sin was death.

The person who sinned had to die.

But God allowed them to bring an animal to die in their place.

But now, Jesus would die and pay the punishment. From now on—no more animals needed to die for people. Jesus’ death payment was enough.

The forgiveness of a person’s sins—would be made—when that person believed in Jesus and asked for forgiveness in Jesus’ name.

Forgiveness was given as a gift. A person did not work for it.

A person just believed and received it.

It was not a person’s work that gave him forgiveness—-it was just the grace of God.

The Jewish leaders would now be out of a job.

Killing animals and putting them on an altar was no longer needed.

The old way of teaching was different now.

Jesus was teaching new things.

The Jewish temple was no longer needed.

Worshipping Jesus could be done anywhere, because it was worship from the heart and spirit.

The Jewish leaders could not understand this. And if they did understand it—-they did not like it.

They did not like Jesus teaching these new things.

They wanted to kill Jesus and have him “be gone”.