Revelation 19:9 (NIV 2011)

9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

Reflection:

Many may think that the movie, “the Wedding Crashers” is not one you would find on the favorite picks list. However, there is one wedding you want to see and definitely must attend: the wedding of the Lamb, the final feast for all those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Luke 5, Levi invites Jesus and all his friends for a great banquet. Those who attend and are at the banquet table are not dignitaries but are the outcasts and those known as “sinners.” But in the realm of God’s kingdom, however, they are welcome guests at the table of our Lord. The apocalyptic imagery of the wedding of the Lamb is meant to encourage us to be disciples of Jesus. The invitation is extended to us, ’cause there ain’t gonna be no crashing on that wedding!

Response:

This invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb is for all of us. It is amazing and humbling that we would receive such an incredible invitation. We are called to be part of the bride of Christ, united with Him when He returns. Let’s worship the Lord, thanking Him for calling us by name. May we respond each day to the call, trusting in faith that we are welcomed to His banqueting table and that He will return in all His glory.

Acts 5:12-16 (NIV 2011)

12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.

Reflection:

This is an amazing scene where the apostles are performing signs and wonders with much healing and saving of souls. Can you envision Levi among the disciples reminiscing about what Jesus said: it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick, and how Jesus came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And now Levi is living the very thing the Master had done, healing and saving people.

As we are healed and saved, can you envision yourself doing that? This is why we labor hard to do the work of ministry. So others may experience the real healing, which is salvation through Jesus Christ.

Response:

Let’s receive the calling afresh to follow our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. As we have experienced salvation, the “real healing,” let’s ask God for more of His empowering presence that we may work hard in the ministry He has given us – for others to receive and experience the real healing – salvation through Jesus Christ.

Matthew 8:1-3 (NIV 2011)

1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.

Reflection:

The man with leprosy dared to be bold. He made quite a bold statement to Jesus. And his boldness mixed with faith resulted in more than just the healing of the body, but an affirmation of his faith because Jesus was willing. How sweet are His words, how kind is our Lord towards us!

Response:

We can be encouraged by the man’s example and be bold ourselves in approaching the Lord. Whatever weighs most heavily on our hearts, let’s turn to the Lord and boldly make our request in prayer. Whether God answers now, tomorrow or within a longer timeframe, let’s receive in faith that He hears us and He is willing.

Mark 1:16-20 (NIV 2011)

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Reflection:

The band U2 wrote the song “Walk On” in one of their acclaimed albums and the line, “All that you can’t leave behind” celebrates a certain “freedom” of thought. With an even greater literary force, the Bible displays this amazing turn for anyone who is called by Jesus. First Simon and his brother Andrew are called, and they leave all of their lives behind to follow Jesus. Then James and John do the same. Why the repetition? Perhaps to show that this was not a one-time fluke but rather a regular occurrence; this is the norm of God’s kingdom. Leaving it all behind to follow Christ is much more than just an intellectual ascent, but it’s a true, real life freedom.

Response:

Jesus continues to call us each day by name. “Come, follow me.” It is an incredible privilege to hear the call. In our hearts, let us “leave it all behind” and follow Him. Let’s pray that we would not hold on to the temporary things of this world but we would instead abandon everything else in faith so we may find and live in true freedom.

Matthew 9:9-12 (NIV 2011)

9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Reflection:

This is the parallel passage to Luke 5:27-33. While there is much similarity in the facts of the event, Matthew brings up the aspect of “mercy, not sacrifice” to describe the event of Jesus reaching the outcast, lost, sick, the sinners. Jesus equates the Pharisees with their externally focused, superficial religiosity to a mere “sacrifice”, while true ministry is the ministry of mercy.

How does this help us? While sacrifice is human’s activity directed towards God, mercy is God’s act of forgiveness directed toward human beings, who are in need of redemption. More than just “activity”, mercy is rooted in God’s love and begins by “receiving” and “responding”.

Response:

“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” It is often easier to offer a sacrifice in the form of religious acts than to receive and extend mercy. But rather than external actions, God desires for our hearts to be changed by His overwhelming mercy for us. Let’s receive the freedom that God gives us from an empty life of religious acts and thank Him for the mercy He continues to offer us. Let’s pray and ask that we would continually experience the ongoing transformation His mercy brings, and that it would overflow out of our hearts so we may sincerely extend it to others.