Beyond the Weekend: Parables
The stories Jesus told and what they mean for your life today.
Why did Jesus teach in stories? Because the deepest truths about God are often found in the ordinary moments of life.
In the parables, Jesus takes everyday things, a lost sheep, a dinner party, a farmer planting seeds and uses them to show us what God is really like and what it means to follow him.
This summer, we’re spending seven weeks in the parables from Luke’s gospel. Whether you’ve heard these stories a hundred times or this is your first time, you’re invited to come and hear them fresh.
June 27/28–August 8/9
Tax Collector’s Feast
Read: Luke 5:27-32 | Listen: Luke 5
Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. Luke 5:29
Before Jesus shares his parable about the patches and wineskins, he joins a feast at a tax collector’s house. The table is set by Levi, a tax collector whom Jesus has just invited to follow him. Levi has dropped everything to do so. The entourage sitting around the table this evening includes the “who’s who” of cheats and hated men. These people cooperate with Rome and steal money from their own people. For Jesus to sit and laugh with them is beyond radical. It’s jaw-dropping! Yet, through his presence, Jesus proclaims that the kingdom of heaven is here. The promised one has arrived. The people around the table, captivated by his presence, will be changed forever.
Jesus approaches our table too. His kingdom is for us if we hear his call and respond. He came for unlikely people, and that includes us—people who are tired of trying to live perfectly, people who have blown up their lives. We get to participate in his kingdom when we turn to him, accept his forgiveness for our sins, and choose to follow him. Like Levi, we are welcome to dine at his table. In him, there is eternal life and joyful purpose which starts now.
TODAY: Jesus invites you to follow him. If you would like to accept his invitation, pray: “Jesus, I confess I’m lost. I believe you are the Son of God and that you died for my sins. I want to make you Lord over my life. Amen.” If you prayed that for the first time, we would love to talk with you. Email us at btw@adabible.org. If you have already believed in Jesus, give thanks that you’ve been welcomed into his feast.
Join us for a special Bonus Episode of the Beyond the Weekend Podcast today. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts or on watch on YouTube.
