Have You Seen Jesus the Friend of Sinners in Luke 5?

     Would you touch a leper? Would you eat dinner with the most despised person in your city? Would you let a sinful woman massage your feet with ointment? Jesus did. Most of the time the Pharisees and the scribes accused the Lord of breaking the Jewish rituals because He did all these things. What was the Lord’s point in doing this? As I’ve been reading the Life Studies of Luke I’ve been keeping track of these accounts.


Touching the Leper -  When the Lord touched the leper in Luke 5:12-13, you can see His deep sympathy–this was His human virtue that was full of divinity. Then when Jesus healed this man, He wanted people to see that He was there as the very God.

Calling Matthew - Then the Lord purposely chose Matthew who was a despised tax collector for the Roman government (Luke 5:27-39).   Once again the Lord’s human virtue shines out. He speaks to a person everyone hates, and not only that He calls him to be His follower. Do you see the Lord’s human virtue here? The Lord’s divine attribute of mercy in choosing Matthew touches all of our hearts. If the Lord can call Matthew, then He can call me, and He can call you.


Forgiving the Sinful Woman - The story of the woman who cried as she anointed the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair (Luke 7:36-50) is very touching. Simon didn’t get it, and his complaint showed that he didn’t think the Lord should let that woman touch Him.
But the Lord as the incarnated God shows in this account His tender affection for a sinner. And when He says “her sins which are many are forgiven” (v. 47), we can see He is indeed the very God who alone can forgive man’s sins. It deeply touches me that our Savior was willing to touch the leper, eat with the despised, and allow a sinner to cry at His feet.  



Other blogs on the Life Study of Luke:

You can listen to excerpts from the Life Study of Acts along with excellent commentary by tuning into the Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.

What Kind of Savior is Revealed in the Gospel of Luke?
Have You Seen Jesus the Friend of Sinners in Luke 5?
Who Did the Samaritan Find on His Journey in Luke 10:33-37?
Why is Persistent Prayer Important in Luke 18:1-8?
A Great Gospel Illustration - How is Man Like a Glove?
From the Life-Study of Luke - Not Reading the Bible Superficially