Jesus said the whole reason he came
was to be the friends
of people like that.
Matthew, prostitutes, rejects,
black sheep of the family.
He didn't come into the world to call perfect,
righteous, just fine people,
but those who were so broken.
Are you a sinner?
Me too.
Do you have any friends?
Me too, I think.
But if you're a sinner and you have friends,
do you know who calls Himself your friend?
Jesus.
I'm standing here in the town of Capernaum
where Jesus lived during His three year ministry.
I'm standing in the ancient synagogue
and right through that window behind me,
are the old black stoned homes
that date back to the days of Jesus.
And it was in these homes that a man lived
that you might've heard of.
His name was Matthew.
Matthew was a tax collector right here in Capernaum.
Until one day, Jesus came to town
and something incredible happened.
Matthew, a notorious sinner in this place,
a sell-out to the Roman government,
became the friend
of the Son of God.
Listen how Mark chapter 2 tells it.
Jesus said the whole reason He came
was to be the friends
of people like that.
Matthew, prostitutes, rejects,
black sheep of the family.
He didn't come into the world to call perfect,
righteous, just fine people,
but those who were so broken
that they knew they had no hope of Heaven without Him.
And as I look around at these ancient ruins,
I wonder where Matthew lived.
I wonder where his tax collector friends
gathered with Jesus for that meal?
I wonder how the rumors spread from house to house
and they heard about a Rabbi who would teach with authority,
who came from God.
Who was willing, not just to be with them,
but to call them His friend.
And it makes me so grateful for the Gospel.
Now, in my life, I've done some stuff I really regret.
And even after almost 40 years of following Jesus,
I still do.
I know that I'm not righteous on my own.
And maybe you feel the same way.
But if so, remember the lesson of Capernaum.
Here's the place where Jesus proved
that sin doesn't get in the way of His friendship.
He overcomes it with His love.
He calls people by name, who deserve it the least
and he says, "Follow Me."
And you can too.
So if you're a sinner,
don't panic.
We believe in a Jesus who is the friend
of people just like that.
And that's the gorgeous message of the Gospel
that we learned right here in Capernaum.
Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel.
I'm sitting, literally, in the place
where Jesus's feet touched.
I saw some amazing places.
The Old City of Jerusalem.
The Garden of Gethsemane.
Beautiful Nazareth.
On the Mount of Beatitudes.
Capernaum on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
And I can't wait to share these video devotions with you.