“While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples”
Levi (his other name is Matthew, author of the Gospel by the same name) was a tax collector. This means that he worked for the Roman occupiers, oppressors, of Israel. He had “sold out” to the enemy for money. Further, his job was to seek out any of his fellow citizens, no matter how destitute, who could be squeezed for more money. Even further, he was free to keep any money “squeezed” which exceeded that demanded by the Romans. Needless to say, he would have not been the toast of the party in his community.
Yet Jesus went to a party at his party full of others like him. Jesus made it a practice to hang out with “riff raff”. It’s a big part of what got him in trouble with the religious leaders.
How about you? Would you be found socializing with those who are clearly out of favor with respectable people? Would you hang out with thieves, drunks, and drug abusers? Or do you find in yourself a need to stay “above that”?
I have never understood why Jesus would say Jesus said to them, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." None of us are righteous, and He knows that, but He implies that some are.
ReplyDeleteI believe that we can be friends with unsaved people with the goal of being a witness to draw them to Jesus. However, I would not "hang out" with hard core theives, drunks and drug abusers. We are warned against this in Proverbs 22:24-25, Proverbs 13:20, Proverbs 14:7. My fear is that corrupt friends will soon begin to corrupt me.
ReplyDeleteOn a slightly different note, on a couple of occassions, I attended a function and observed a person who looked "different" from the others. My first reaction was to avoid that person, but when I inadvertently spent time with them, I saw their special uniqueness!
ReplyDeleteI was both ashamed of my original intentions, and blessed by my experience of spending time with them. God works in mysterious ways!