On this Sunday (08/20/23), the Second Sunday of the blessed month of Mesore, the Church reads Luke 5:27-39. In this reading, Christ calls Levi (the tax collector) to follow Him. This Gospel does not account for any miracle in nature, but it is an account of the wonders of His grace.
Let us delve into today’s Liturgy Gospel to reveal the true purpose and message of this Gospel from Luke 5:27-39. In Luke 5:30-32, Jesus is asked, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick…”. First, we need to understand why the scribes and Pharisees asked this. They asked this because they believe in the law of Moses, which states, “it is not right to mix between the holy and the unholy, and between the unclean and clean”(Leviticus 10:10). This is where we begin to see that this is a Gospel of the wonders of His grace. Christ called on poor fishermen to follow Him and be His disciples; these are men of the lowest rank. In this Gospel He also called to admit tax collectors to this honor; these are men of the worst reputation. In this Christ says, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance”(Luke 5:32).
Another wonder of His grace is that He proportioned the disciple’s struggles to their strength. He then said, “no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed”(Luke 5:37). What this means that He would be treating the disciples according to their strength and putting them upon duties according to their time and standing, otherwise they will be destroyed. When God brought Israel out of Egypt, “He did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt” (Exodus 13:17). Father Tadros Malaty states that “He did not come to add more burden to the rites of worship, but to take away what is old, and to set what is new; by crucifying the old man and granting the new spiritual man.”
In conclusion, this Sunday’s gospel passage teaches us that God’s Mercy is wonderful. For He has come to save those who are sick and to bestow upon us the new man. Let us seek God in order to allow us to take off the old man and put on the new one.
Sources:
- Bible, English Standard Version: Luke 5:27-39
- Commentaries on the Gospel of St. Luke by Father Tadros Malaty