Luke 5:17-26
According to legend an old man of a seaport town was derisively called \”The Miser of Marseilles.\” Everyone in south of France seemed to know him. He seemed to have one aim in life . . . to hoard every bit of money he got. When he died, not a single person attended his funeral. Then his will was read. It stated: “From my infancy I noticed that the poor people of Marseilles had great difficulty in getting water. I noticed that water, the gift of God, was very dear and difficult to obtain. And when they could get that water, it was not as pure and clean as God intended it to be. Therefore, I vowed before God that I would live but for one purpose, for one end. I would save money, money, money; that I might give it to the city on one condition: that an aqueduct be built to bring fresh, pure water from yonder lake in the hills to Marseilles. That I now make possible by leaving all my hoarded wealth to this city. This is my last will and testament”. The people of Marseilles then saw that they misunderstood. He was not just a saver but they savior.
The selfless acts of Jesus which caused Him to take time to forgive and to heal were misunderstood as well. And yet, his example has established a pattern for the church.
Dr. Gayle Woods