The Arrogant Can't Believe • Luke 5:27-6:11
50:48 Teaching begins
Notes
Some people received Jesus gladly, and others couldn’t stand Him.
The difference is that those who received Jesus were open to hearing something they might not agree with, something difficult to accept. They were humble.
Those that rejected Him were absolutely close-minded, not considering anything other than what they accepted as true. They were arrogant.
This is true without exception. It divides the world into humble and arrogant, those being saved and those being condemned for rejecting Jesus.
If you can’t believe in Jesus it’s because you’re arrogant.
1. Jesus calls Levi, vv. 27-29.
A. Levi, or Matthew, hears Jesus command him to follow Him, and immediately he gets up, leaves everything and follows Jesus.
1. Almost certainly Levi has already seen Jesus for himself, heard Him speak, surely no man ever spoke like Jesus.
2. Levi already knows that money isn’t everything, that his job as a tax collector has cost him all of his relationships. He lives an empty life going nowhere.
3. When Jesus actually looks at him, and commands him, “Follow Me,” Levi knows this is a miracle that Jesus would even look at him. He doesn’t want to miss this opportunity. He may never have a chance like this ever again. This command of Jesus is more important than his job, his income, his material security, more important than his life.
4. Therefore Levi jumps at the chance. So long, tax business, forever.
B. Immediately Levi finds out his life has greater significance because he’s following Jesus.
1. He gives a reception for Jesus in his house for all the guys still in the business.
2. They come because they’re really curious. This is not the usual thing. This is like water running uphill. Nobody ever gets out of the business because there’s no place to go. You give up money and everyone has written you off. What in the world made Levi drop everything? Who is this guy Jesus? What kind of a con guy is He? Or is He really legitimate? You know, I don’t give a monkey for religion, but I want to see what the deal is. Mind if I bring my girlfriend? Actually a bunch of us want to come—that okay?
3. Sure it’s okay. Because it wasn’t Levi’s idea in the first place. It was Jesus’ idea. Levi, you’re going to give a reception for Me. Invite all the guys in the business. Invite all their girlfriends who are in the business. You don’t have a problem with this, do you? These are my guys, why would I have a problem with them?
2. The guys who have a problem with it are the Pharisees. In this next section Jesus tells the Pharisees that they’re sinners and they don’t believe it, vv. 30-32.
A. The Pharisees are a denomination of Judaism that is conservative, biblically based. They are not big but their interpretation of the Bible is respected and followed for the last hundred years in Judea. They have authority because of the word of God.
B. Whenever you read this you have to understand that the Pharisees are not in the reception, they are outside looking in.
1. Last week we saw them in the room with Jesus while He was teaching, and then the men let their suffering friend through a hole in the roof so Jesus could heal him.
2. Now they’re not in the room because those people are sinners, they’re wicked, they’re despicable. If Pharisees went in that room they would be defiled, they would lose their holiness before God. There’s no way they would go in there.
C. So they can’t ask Jesus directly, they ask His disciples: what in the world is He doing in there, associating with these awful people? He’s eating and drinking with them, having fellowship with them! That is a total contradiction for someone claiming to be the Messiah of God! Does He care nothing for holiness?
D. Jesus gets wind of their displeasure and says, “They’re sick, I want to make them whole. I didn’t come for the righteous but for sinners.” There’s two things in that statement.
1. One, is that I’m not going to become like them, they’re not going to make Me sick. They can’t defile Me. I’m going to make them them well, I’m going to make them holy like Me. He does care about holiness.
2. Two, I didn’t come for the righteous, only for the sinners. He’s telling them they’re sinners as well. If they want to accept that.
E. They are not happy about that. You’re for them and not for us? But we’re not sinners, we’re righteous. They don’t believe Him.
3. Jesus tells the Pharisees how important He is, and what momentous time they live in, and they don’t believe Him.
A. Jesus isn’t acting like the Pharisees, He’s not even acting like John the Baptist’s disciples. In Judaism there are set times for humbling oneself and mourning, all the others are fasting and praying, but not Jesus and His disciples. They’re acting differently, out of sync with everyone else. They’re doing their own thing. Why are You doing Your own thing?
B. In a very indirect way Jesus tries to get these guys to think. He says this is a momentous time, God is doing something new, and He is the most important person here.
1. A wedding is a momentous special occasion where something new begins, it’s a break with the past, and it’s a celebration of a new union. It’s not just another day, it breaks up the routine, it takes precedence over the routine. Isn’t that so?
2. Nowadays the bride is the most important person at a wedding. This is her special day, she is the last one in the procession, everyone stands, she has her own theme song, she is dressed in the most exalted way, you can’t outshine the bride. And the bridegroom stands at the front in a rented tux, no one looks at him, he’s waiting like a numpty.
3. Jesus’ society is patriarchal, men are important. At a momentous, new, time-of-life change, the bridegroom is the most important person. All eyes are on him because it’s right. He’s the guy, it’s all about him, and it’s reasonable that the focus is on him.
4. He’s not always going to be here, so you have to take advantage of the time that you have Him. You mean the Messiah isn’t going to be here forever? Well, He’s trying to get them to think. Do you know what He means? Jesus means they’re going to kill Him, He will rise from the dead and ascend into heaven and return at the end of the age. This is momentous, He is here, now!
C. Jesus makes it reasonable and clear: you can’t mix the new and the old.
1. Nobody rips a new garment to repair an old garment. You’re going to destroy a new garment to fix your faded, stained, shreddy old thing? Are you serious? Nobody does that.
2. Nobody puts new wine in an old wineskin. When you make wine, there are no bottles to put the wine as it ferments, you put it in goatskins sewn together. The fermentation produces carbon dioxide that stretches out the skin, but it has flex, it can handle the pressure. An old wineskin is brittle, doesn’t flex anymore, the pressure will crack the skin and you’ll lose everything. You’re not going to use that old wineskin, are you? Are you crazy? Nobody does that.
D. But you guys don’t want anything new. You like everything just the way it is. You like old wine. You don’t want this to be about Me. You want this to be about you. You are the authorities. The focus is on you. You’re pretty intoxicated with who you are and what you do and how people see you. You don’t want the Messiah to change your lives and be more important than you.
4. Jesus asserts His authority as the Son of Man and they don’t believe Him.
A. The issue is the Sabbath. One day in seven you do no work, you keep it holy to the Lord your God. This is the sign that separates Israel to be God’s people.
B. The question is: what is work? How do we define it so we know we never break that law?
1. The Pharisees put a hedge of ordinances around the law of Moses so that they don’t even get close to breaking that law. The hedge itself is not the law, but it has the force of the law of Moses. Tradition has solidified and become a law in itself.
2. The disciples did not break the law of Moses. It is lawful for the disciples to go through a wheatfield and eat a little grain. You can’t put it in a container, but you can even eat till you’re filled. The law says you can do this.
3. The issue here is that the Pharisees defined “work” with authority, and in their eyes Jesus is defying their authority.
C. Once again, Jesus reasons from the Scriptures.
1. Have you never read, you interpreters of the law? Surely you must know! David, the Messiah of God, when he was in need, ate holy bread which was not lawful for him to eat. A priest gave it to him! It was okay with God.
2. The Son of Man is greater than David because He is presented in Daniel 7 as an equal to the Ancient of Days. David ate the showbread, I am Lord of the Sabbath. What I do is always right because I am the Son of Man.
D. Jesus demonstrates that He is the Son of Man once again on the Sabbath.
1. He is teaching them. It’s okay to teach on the Sabbath, the Sabbath is about God.
2. But there’s a man with a withered hand. He is going to defy us, break the Sabbath, and heal that guy. Isn’t He?
3. Jesus knows what they are thinking! And He reasons with them: is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, or is it lawful to do evil? If I heal this guy, it’s good, if I don’t heal him when I have opportunity it’s evil. Shall I save this guy’s life or shall I destroy it on the Sabbath?
4. And they do not answer Him. They aren’t thinking. They are so angry that He challenges their authority that it doesn’t matter when Jesus heals a man right in front of them. Notice that seeing a miracle does not automatically make a person a believer in Jesus. They don’t care. They are so angry that He defied them they want Him dead.
5. On the Sabbath they actually plan ways to murder a guy who heals people on the Sabbath. Because they don’t believe Jesus they are lawbreakers, sinners, sick. They need a saviour and they don’t believe it.
5. So what?
A. Here’s the Messiah, the Son of Man Himself, this is the most momentous time, the fulfilment of prophecy, it’s happening now, and these men reject it because they don’t believe Jesus.
B. These guys don’t believe for a number of reasons.
1. Because they are used to being the authority, they’re used to being the boss.
2. Because they believe they’re right in their interpretations and aren’t open to the possibility they might be wrong.
3. They are narrow-minded, not willing to accept opinions, beliefs, behaviors, etc. that are unusual or different from one's own : not open-minded.
4. They are not thinking because they are arrogant and not humble.
C. Beware of being arrogant, of thinking you’re important, of wanting your own way, of refusing to think or consider that you might be wrong. Beware of rejecting Jesus when He commands you, “Follow Me.” You are fighting against Jesus, you’re calling Him a liar, that He’s not the Saviour, He’s not the Lord.
D. Because He is commanding you right now: “Follow Me and be saved.”
1. That means now is the most important time. It’s time to change your life and be saved.
2. You are not the most important one at this most important time. He is the Saviour, He is the Son of Man, He is the Son of God. You need Him to save you right now.
3. Now is the time to submit to Him. Acknowledge that you’re a sinner. You’re terminal, you need a doctor. You need a saviour.
E. You trust in Jesus who died in your place and took your punishment for your sins upon Himself. He died your death that you deserved. He rose again from the dead. He’s the King of kings and Lord of lords. When Jesus commands you to follow Him, you obey Him and become His disciple. You humble yourself and submit to Him. Do you believe Him? Are you Jesus’disciple?
F. Levi submitted, became Jesus’ disciple, and he kept obeying Jesus. Jesus said, “Let’s have a party for Me at your place and invite all your friends.” Really, a party? Okay, anything You want. All those lost, wicked people heard Jesus because Jesus told Levi what to do, and Levi obeyed Him. Jesus is still the most important person, not you. Are you listening for Jesus? Are you doing what He tells you to do?
Let’s pray.