Jesus teaches the crowds, heals the sick, and calls the disciples to follow Him.
Fishermen, tax collectors, and their friends acknowledge they need forgiveness and healing. The religious leaders don’t feel they need anything. They had it all figured out. As a result, God cannot help them.
#NewTestament #Jesus #faith #spirituality #deconstructing #reconstructing #deconstructingchristianity #reconstructingfaith #postchristianworld #postchristian
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Message Notes:
Jesus is teaching and a crowd comes so he goes out into a boat so they could see him better. He then tells Peter to throw his nets in the water. After not catching any fish all night he’s skeptical but does it anyway. They caught so many fish Peter is overwhelmed, falls to his knees, and says: “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Luke 5:8 (NIV)
Peter, James, and John then dropped everything to follow Jesus.
This may seem like odd responses, but more than likely these fishermen had grown up being taught about the coming Messiah. Now what Jesus was saying and the miracle of the fish seemed to be enough for these men to become convinced they just met the One they had been waiting for!
If they were amazed now, things would only get more remarkable as Jesus heals a man with a skin disease called leoprosy! Jesus started healing many people including a paralyzed man dropped through the ceiling by his friends. Before healing him, he forgives him. To the religious leaders, they immediately understood the implication. Only God can forgive. Jesus is claiming to be God, and that enrages the religious leaders. The religious leaders included different groups – the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Zealots, and the Herodians to name a few. There was no separation between church and state so these were like their political parties.
The crowds, the fishermen, and even the tax collectors and their friends had open hearts and open minds. They praised God for what they heard Jesus saying and saw Jesus doing. God was doing something new, and they were excited about it!
The religious leaders felt threatened by Jesus. They didn’t need a new work from God. They already had it all figured out.
Are you looking for God? Are you open to help from God? Are you aware you need forgiveness? Do you want healing in your life?
If so, you are exactly the type of person who God can help, forgive, and heal. Keep pursuing Him and He will reveal Himself to you.
Peter was looking for God, so He was quick to recognize Him. The religious leaders weren’t, and so they didn’t.
