Luke 5:27-32
“The
Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying,
‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and
sinners?’”
(Luke
5:30
NRSV)
Matthew
just didn’t fit in. People like him
weren’t welcome in the company of…good people.
The religious elite were communicating this to Jesus’ disciples in
today’s text. Truth is, Jesus didn’t
really fit in either, particularly with their expectations for what a righteous
person ought to be. Matthew was a tax
collector and his friends were tax collectors…and worse. He wouldn’t be welcome in the gatherings of
the righteous and neither, it would seem, would
Jesus.
On
another occasion, a Pharisee mumbled under his breath when a “sinful” woman
approached Jesus, and with her tears and expensive perfume expressed gratitude
in response to grace. You see, the
Pharisee identified the woman as less valuable than himself or other “good and
righteous” people. What made Jesus so
dangerous, in both cases, was that he valued the person, not their strengths,
weaknesses, or affiliations. Matthew and
the woman in Luke 7 were welcomed by Jesus, and extended hospitality to Jesus,
because each treasured the other.
The
way of the cross isn’t a privileged path for those deemed good enough. It is a humble path of service and
selflessness that values what and who Jesus valued. All are welcome…regardless.
Prayer:
Lord, as you welcome me, may I welcome others, not because they agree with me,
or look like me, or even believe like me, but because they, like me, also need
your touch of grace. Amen.
Jim
Abernathy
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