A Motley Crew
Scripture: Mark 2:15-17
"15 Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) 16 But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?” 17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Observations:
The Bible is a pretty honest book in that it doesn't hide the fact that every single person who followed Jesus was less than perfect. In fact, many times it highlights specific examples of how "un-perfect" Jesus' top 12 disciples really were. It's no surprise then to find in this passage that there were many disreputable sinners and people with lots of problems who followed Jesus. In contrast, the religious leaders, the ones who thought they really had their act together, not only rejected Jesus but also despised the very people they considered unworthy of God's love. Jesus on the other hand made it a point to give value to every person, despite their problems, sinfulness, and unworthiness. He wasn't bothered by them. He didn't send them away. Instead He took the time to lovingly point them towards God's Kingdom.
Application:
Jesus didn't come for perfect people but rather to show those of us with real problems and sin in our lives the way to freedom. Good News: you qualify and are a perfect candidate to become a follower of Jesus. It's good to know that God doesn't classify us into categories of "good" or "bad" (because we all fall short Romans 3:23) but rather asks each of us simply to follow him through the journey of life. It is God's desire that we come to know Him and that through that knowlede we will enter into the kind of relationship that will transform us into the person He created us to be. In the meantime, as we continue following Christ and living in relationship with Him, God accepts us right where we are and teaches us the best way to live.
Prayer:
Father, help us not to evaluate ourselves by human standards but according to the grace you have given us to live in relationship with Your Son. Thank you for Your forgiveness and for loving us enough to lead us in the way we should go. He us to follow You more closely and change us along the way.
"15 Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) 16 But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?” 17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Observations:
The Bible is a pretty honest book in that it doesn't hide the fact that every single person who followed Jesus was less than perfect. In fact, many times it highlights specific examples of how "un-perfect" Jesus' top 12 disciples really were. It's no surprise then to find in this passage that there were many disreputable sinners and people with lots of problems who followed Jesus. In contrast, the religious leaders, the ones who thought they really had their act together, not only rejected Jesus but also despised the very people they considered unworthy of God's love. Jesus on the other hand made it a point to give value to every person, despite their problems, sinfulness, and unworthiness. He wasn't bothered by them. He didn't send them away. Instead He took the time to lovingly point them towards God's Kingdom.
Application:
Jesus didn't come for perfect people but rather to show those of us with real problems and sin in our lives the way to freedom. Good News: you qualify and are a perfect candidate to become a follower of Jesus. It's good to know that God doesn't classify us into categories of "good" or "bad" (because we all fall short Romans 3:23) but rather asks each of us simply to follow him through the journey of life. It is God's desire that we come to know Him and that through that knowlede we will enter into the kind of relationship that will transform us into the person He created us to be. In the meantime, as we continue following Christ and living in relationship with Him, God accepts us right where we are and teaches us the best way to live.
Prayer:
Father, help us not to evaluate ourselves by human standards but according to the grace you have given us to live in relationship with Your Son. Thank you for Your forgiveness and for loving us enough to lead us in the way we should go. He us to follow You more closely and change us along the way.
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