Encounter 21 – Matthew

Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 2:13-17, Luke 5:27-32

And after these things, He went out again by the sea, and all the crowds were coming to Him, and He taught them. And as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man, a tax collector named Matthew Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting in the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he left everything behind, and he rose and followed Him. And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house. And it came to pass that He was sitting at the table in his house. And behold there was a great crowd of many tax collectors and sinners, and other people who came, and were dining with Jesus and His disciples, for there were many of them, and they were following Him. And when the Pharisees and the scribes of the Pharisees saw this, that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they began grumbling, saying to His disciples, “Why do you (and) your Teacher eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And when He heard this, Jesus answered and said to them, “They who are healthy have no need of a physician, but they who are sick. (HOS 6:6) But go and learn what this means – ‘I desire compassion and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Number of Fish: 1

Total Fish: 26

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