Looking for the Truth

I have discovered that absolutely everyone believes they have found the truth or are seeking to know the truth of what are lives are all about.  It's sort of the haves and the have nots.  Some believe the truth is what ever you believe the truth is.  Some believe that the truth is embodied in the wisdom of a special person.   In our polite society it is not acceptable to discuss some one's faith, their belief in a certain truth.  This in itself is a statement of belief.  The belief that what you believe is private and should not be shared with others.   Unless that person is someone in religious authority, though we are seeing a breakdown even there. 

In the passage we are looking at the questions that arise are what is truth, what is faith and how do we practice it.  In this setting public debate is not feared.

Luke 5:29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

In the previous post we already discussed Levi's reason for a celebration.  What we will see next is the reaction of the Pharisees to this event.  Please see my entry on who the pharisees are. Short and Sweet.
As the religious leaders for the Jews they felt that they were compelled to condemn Jesus on his hanging out with tax collectors and sinners.   They believed that they were stand ins for God.  They took the truth of the Old Testament and interpreted according to man's wisdom.  Their focus was on the rules and not the blessings and compassion of God.  God is both justice and love. 

Jesus didn't respond with "Hey!! these folks are cool", "Chill" or "My relationship with God makes it OK to hang out with who ever I want".   He acknowledged that the folks he was hanging out with were sinners, they were sick and needed healing.  Jesus doesn't propose the possibility of something to consider as truth.  He states boldly that "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance".   Some would equate Jesus to other religious teachers like Mohamed, Buddha, Gandhi, etc..  Again a tendency to make truth relative.   This might make us feel good and fair.  But when we do that we are taking God's son and making him less than who he is.  He is the Son of God.  He speaks the only truth.  He is the only truth.

We have a choice we can believe anything we want to make up, we can believe in the truth of a man, we can believe the truth of organized religion or we can believe the truth that God has revealed through His Son, Jesus Christ.

If you are seeking the truth, if you are seeking a savior?  Then I want you right now to close your eyes in a prayer.  This is all I want you to say in that prayer:

"Jesus, are you calling me?  Are you calling me to repentance? I want to follow you.  I am a sinner and I believe you are the Son of God and that you died for me"