Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax-collectors and sinners?’ Jesus answered, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, January 29, 2025
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Jesus knew how to give a backhanded compliment. I suppose he didn’t’ want to alienate everyone right out of the gate, so when the Pharisees and scribes complained about his company, he basically said to them: “I’m here for sinners.” This implied, of course, that the Pharisees weren’t sinners. And maybe that satisfied them for a time. But of course, they were sinners. They were guilty of following the letter of the law and ignoring the spirit of the law, something the prophets had lambasted the Jews about for centuries. Jesus would be no different. His seeming compliment is barbed because he’s also saying that God’s messiah isn’t for the religious establishment. But this flies right by them because there’s no way they’re going to even consider that he might be the messiah. Or is there? Anyway, it sets the tone beautifully for the ongoing back-and-forth between Jesus and the Jewish establishment that characterizes his entire ministry. And it reminds us that no matter how well we follow the rules, we’re still imperfect, and Jesus’ love and redemption is for us along with everyone else.
Do I feel like I’m better or worse than anyone? Why or why not?
