Readings for today: Matthew 8:1-4, 9:1-17. 12:1-21, Mark 1:40-45, 2:1-3:21, Luke 5:12-6:19
Who did Jesus spend time with and why? That’s a huge question as we read through the Gospels. Jesus often finds Himself at odds with the religious leaders of His day because of the company He keeps. He hangs out with tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, demon-possessed, and a host of other unclean sinners who were outcast from first century Israelite society. He went to their homes. He went to their parties. He loved them and embraced them and welcomed them. Why did Jesus do this? After all, it’s not very strategic. They didn’t have much to offer His ministry. It wasn’t good for His reputation. They were desperately needy and took up a great deal of His time and attention. So what was in it for Jesus? Listen to His own words. They appear in all three of the Synoptic Gospels which means each of the Gospel writes believed them to be vitally important.
“Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit.” (Mark 2:17 MSG)
We often say things like, “the church should be a hospital for sinners” but that’s an extremely difficult vision to live into. People are messy. My mess messes with your mess and your mess messes with my mess. The more real and authentic I become in community, the more challenging it is to be in relationship with me. My ego gets involved and complicates matters. I have a hard time seeing the log in my eye when I’m trying to get the speck out of my brother or sister’s eye. I have a hard time resisting the temptation to pass judgment but find it all too easy to give myself a pass. And yet, Jesus didn’t come for the self-righteous or the Pharisee or the saint who appears perfect. Jesus didn’t come for the overly religious or superficially spiritual or nominal believer. Jesus came for the sick. Jesus came for the broken. Jesus came for the weak and spiritually poor. Jesus came for the hungry and thirsty. Jesus came for the naked and oppressed. Jesus came to invite the sinner into fellowship so he or she might be saved.
I think of some of the places I go and the people I meet. The general manager of a local bar always buys me a round of drinks when I meet people at his establishment. A town council member lets me have a tab at his coffee shop. A lesbian couple continues to dialogue with me over what it means to follow Jesus. A young man in his late twenties meets with me to wrestle with his gender identity. Several young people who are battling significant mental health issues ask me for prayer regularly. I get invited into birthday parties and wedding celebrations and other occasions that mark major milestones in people’s lives. I always try to say “yes” to these invitations because they are opportunities for me to do what Jesus did. Minister to the sick and invite them to find healing through a relationship with Him.
Readings for tomorrow: Matthew 5-7, Luke 6:20-49, 11:1-13