A Christmas Thought.

I know it is a little early for Christmas but the passage I read in my devotions today made me think of the reason why Christ came.

Luke 5

²⁷ After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” ²⁸ And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.

²⁹ And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. ³⁰ And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” ³¹ And Jesus answered them,“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Christ came to give sinners a new beginning and a new relationship to him. He wasn’t afraid to hang out and love people that the rest of the society thinks are too far gone. He came to be the Great Physician to heal sick souls.

I think that sometimes we modern day Christians can be like the Pharisees. We grumble about all the sinful, rotten people out there who are not holy and spiritual like us. But what are we doing to reach out to those people and call them to repentance? We are good at judging but so weak at restoring. How often I am more like the Pharisees in this story and less like Jesus?

So if Christ came to heal our sinful, sick souls what should our response be? To repent, that is to change our minds. Levi realized that all big money he was making as a tax collector wasn’t going to satisfy his heart. He realized what he needed was Jesus. He heard the simply words, “Come follow me.” That is what his heart needed, to be with Jesus. So what should my response to Christmas be? To simply follow Jesus and invite others to join me.