When Jesus was on earth, He was really happy to be friend with tax collectors and sinners! At that time, Jerusalem was a great and prosperous city. Everyone who walked on its street were proud. But when the Lord saw Jerusalem from Mt. Olive, He cried for Jerusalem. When the Lord entered Jerusalem, he was very happy to sit and eat among tax collectors and sinners. Why was that?
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That is because the Lord had mercy. He saw the misery and poverty of people in sins. Jesus said, I came to call sinners to repent, and to help those who were sick. In verse 12 the Lord says, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.' But are there any real healthy people in the world? Not really. There are lots of people, however, who think they are healthy. Are there any people who have not sinned? Not really. Nevertheless, there are a lot of people who thought they had no sin. That's why Jesus rebuked those who thought they were righteous, even crying for them, because they are indeed the ones who need salvations. But they refused salvation, refused Jesus. What's a pity!
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There was a person named Matthew. He was a tax collector. At that time, a tax collector was not accepted by Jews. When the grace of the Lord came upon him, knowing his sins and his needs, once he heard Jesus' calling he got up and followed Jesus. Bible says, he 'got up', and didn't wait. There wasn't a problem of saving face or rationalizing. A sinner can receive new life because of his belief. How wonderful it is! Today, no matter what you need, you can come to God. When God calls, you need to get up and see wonderful grace descending upon you!
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