Gospel Reading for February 21, 2026 – Luke 5: 27-32
LABELED
Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.”And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him. Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”
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The Pharisees and scribes conveniently LABELED others as sinners so that they themselves might appear sinless and blameless. They meticulously observed the Laws of God—laws which they had multiplied and burdened with additions, many of which no longer reflected the true spirit and intent of God’s commandments. In doing so, they projected an image of righteousness and strict obedience. They preferred to set themselves apart, which is why they disapproved of Jesus mingling with so-called sinners.
Yet this attitude stood in stark contrast to the very mission for which Jesus was sent—He came to be the Savior of the world.
How can a person who believes he has no need of salvation recognize his need for Jesus at all? And yet, woe to that person who rejects that opportunity for grace. To lose that chance would mean facing a point of no return on the day of judgment.
Lord Jesus, we thank you for granting us a new lease on life, even at the cost of your immense pain and suffering!
