And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him. And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:14-17
Have you ever noticed who you rub elbows with? For the most part it is people who look like us, talk like us, act like us, and etc. I believe this is the total opposite of how a Christ-follower should be. I believe that when you look at the life that Jesus led, He hung out with those who were different. My next three blog post will be dealing with this.
In the Scripture mentioned above we have Jesus and His Disciples taking a stroll along the sea. He sees a man, a tax-collector at that and summons him to follow Him. Later in the story we Jesus and the Disciples rubbing elbows with the hated tax collector and his friends.
The Pharisees (the religious leaders or churched people) would have nothing to do with this man and his friends. I have to ask myself, is this still true today? Are we like the religious leaders or like Jesus? If you look around in our churches most of the people in the building are just like us. It's the people that everyone wants to dine with. What about those that no one wants to dine with?
Jesus wanted the man no one wanted. He offered His friendship to the man whom all others would have scorned to call a friend.
So my question for you is this, "Who are you going to dine with tonight?"
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
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ReplyDeleteWell, Dustin, last night we ate pizza with you!
ReplyDeleteAnd we were happy to get to do so! We also met
a visiting lady who recently lost her husband to suicide. Glad you welcomed her, too.
Great challenging thoughts. I am grateful to the young Baptist couple that took a lot of time out for me when I was a troubled, messed up teenager. I look back on what they did and wonder "What were they thinking?!? Were they crazy?"
ReplyDeleteThey were thinking like Jesus. I am grateful for their patience, love, and support. That kind of accepting love works wonders in people's lives. You never know just how much impact you will have until you act!
Very convicting. It's easy to hate or judge tax collectors when you don't know any. The same could be said of any "sinners" judged by the Pharisees in that time.
ReplyDeleteAs I think of all the hot button issues in Christianity today, I am humbled and convicted that I have no friends who are Muslim, or illegal immigrants and only a couple who are gay or have had abortions. I cannot remember when the last time I had dinner with any of those are, however. Maybe I need to make some dinner plans. Good job.