Daily Word: Sinners

After Yeshua called Lewi, He had a meal with the tax collectors and sinners in his house. This is culturally very significant. To share a drink of water with someone meant that you would be friends for a year (think about Yeshua and the woman and the well), but to share a meal with someone meant that you would be friends for life. By His act of eating with the "sinners," Yeshua was pledging to be their friend for life. Now you can see why some of the religious people took note. In fact, some of the Pharisees and scribes complained to Yeshua's disciples. Mark 2:17 reads: But when Y'shua heard, he said to them, "The healthy have no need for a physician, rather those who are very ill. I have not come to call the righteous, rather the sinners." The Greek word for "very ill," is kakos and it means both physical illness and moral depravity. As we have seen, Yeshua intertwined forgiveness and healing. Here, He again affirms His desire to deal with both issues.

Yeshua is calling sinners. Who are they? One Hebrew word for sin is aham and it means to fail in duty and to transgress. Man failed to carry out God's Torah and went past the, "Off Limits" sign. When man chose to disregard God's instructions for living and developed his own (like Eve in the Garden of Eden), he became a sinner. Yeshua is calling those that recognize their sin; those that acknowledge their failure to live according to the Torah of God. Remember that to repent requires you to tear down your house and receive the Kingdom of Elohim. Those that believe that they are well see no need to tear down their house. They think it is fine the way it is. Now we can understand who Yeshua is calling; He is calling those that agree that their old house needs to go.

Today, are you one that knows that the old house has to be destroyed? If so, you are a sinner and Yeshua is calling all sinners to exchange their old kingdom for the new one. The Kingdom of Elohim brings heaven to earth one person at a time.