Read: Numbers 36:1 - Dueteronomy 1:46; Luke 5:29-11; Psalm 66:1-20; Proverbs 11:24-26
First, Moses decided a question about the daughters of Zelophehad who received inheritance. What would happen to their land if they married outside their tribe? The answer was simple: they must marry within their tribe, so they did. That was easy because they obeyed. I wonder how easy our problems would be fixed if we just obeyed.
It had now been 40 years since the children of Israel had disobeyed by not believing the reports of Joshua and Caleb. Moses met with them and gave them a lesson of their history because he did not want them to repeat it.
In Luke, tax collectors where considered a publican. The Pharisees were prohibited from eating a publican’s food and were not allowed to invite a publican to their table and now Jesus was not only eating Levi’s food but doing at Levi’s table. They only people the tax-collectors could hang out with were other tax collectors and prostitutes because they had prostituted themselves to money and sold out their own people. So, when Jesus chose Levi (Matthew) as one of his disciples and actually went to his house and ate with his friends, the Pharisees were appalled. Jesus explained that these were the people who needed him so he went to them. He came to call sinners to righteousness. This flew in the face of the Pharisees because their were not allowed to discuss the laws of purification in the presence of a sinner because they didn’t want the sinner to be purified. They were also not permitted to try to be a good example to a sinner lest they repent. What a different gospel Jesus was bringing.
Then Jesus referred to himself as the bridegroom and he gave them the parable about the old patch on a new garment. and new wine being poured into old wineskins. The Pharisees were the old patch and the old wineskins that wouldn’t change to accept the new gospel Jesus was bringing.
When the disciples ate grain on the Sabbath, the Pharisees complained. Jesus reminded them of what David did when he was hungry on the Sabbath. He ate the shewbread that was set aside only for the priest. Jesus was trying to show them that following God was not about religious rituals but walking in obedience by the Spirit. Then Jesus proclaimed himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath. He proved it by healing a man’s shriveled hand in the synagogue in front of everyone. This made the Pharisees furious. They started trying to come up with a plan to stop Jesus.
Lord, help us to walk in Your Spirit today and obey your voice.
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