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MARCH 31
say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say,
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‘Rise up and walk’? But that you may know
that the Son of Man has power on earth to for-
39:5 handbreadths. He measures the length give sins”—He said to the man who was para-
of his life with the smallest popular measuring lyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed,
unit of ancient times (1 Kin.7:26); see “four fin- and go to your house.”
gers”(i.e., about 2.9 in.) in Jeremiah 52:21.and 25 Immediately he rose up before them, took
my age is as nothing before You. On “mea- up what he had been lying on, and departed to
suring” God’s age, see Psalm 90:2. vapor. For his own house, glorifying God. And they
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the same Hebrew word, see Ecclesiastes 1:2ff., were all amazed, and they glorified God and
“vanity”(a total of 31 occurrences of this term were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen
are in Eccl.);Psalm 144:4.On the concept in the strange things today!”
New Testament, see James 4:14.

6 Surely every man walks about like a
shadow; 5:26 strange things. The response is curiously
Surely they busy themselves in vain; noncommittal—not void of wonder and
He heaps up riches, amazement, but utterly void of true faith.
And does not know who will gather
them.
Proverbs 13:1–3 27 After these things He went out and saw a
13 A wise son heeds his father’s tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax
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office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So
instruction,
But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. he left all, rose up, and followed Him.
29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his
2 A man shall eat well by the fruit of his own house. And there were a great number of
mouth, tax collectors and others who sat down with
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on them. And their scribes and the Pharisees
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violence. complained against His disciples, saying,
3 He who guards his mouth preserves “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors
his life, and sinners?”
But he who opens wide his lips shall 31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those
have destruction. who are well have no need of a physician, but
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those who are sick. I have not come to call
Luke 5:17–39
the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He
was teaching, that there were Pharisees and
teachers of the law sitting by, who had come
out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jeru-
salem. And the power of the Lord was present 5:30 eat and drink. Consorting with outcasts
on any level—even merely speaking to them—
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to heal them. Then behold, men brought on was bad enough. Eating and drinking with
a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they them implied a level of friendship that was
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sought to bring in and lay before Him. And abhorrent to the Pharisees (7:34; 15:2; 19:7).
when they could not find how they might
bring him in, because of the crowd, they went 5:33 fast often. Jesus did fast on at least one
up on the housetop and let him down with his occasion (Matt. 4:2)—but privately, in accor-
bed through the tiling into the midst before dance with His own teaching (Matt. 6:16–18).
Jesus. The law also prescribed a fast on the Day of
20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, Atonement (Lev. 16:29–31; 23:27)—but all
“Man, your sins are forgiven you.” other fasts were supposed to be voluntary, for
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began specific reasons such as penitence and
to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks earnest prayer. The fact that these Pharisees
blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God raised this question shows that they thought
alone?” of fasting as a public exercise to display one’s
22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, own spirituality. Yet, the Old Testament also
He answered and said to them, “Why are you rebuked hypocritical fasting (Is. 58:3–6).
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reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to
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