Dinner with a Sinner

The Calling of Levi

²⁷After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, ²⁸and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.

²⁹Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. ³⁰But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”

³¹Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ³²I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

It’s sort of funny thing to look back and read the scriptures and stories of Jesus. From our vantage point we can see someone who really did love the world. But imagine being there at that time. If you heard that Jesus, this guy who was possible the Messiah, having dinner with sinners you might not have the same reaction we have when we read it today. Back then you could be a little offended that he would do such a thing. But we read it from the safety of our homes or Starbucks and think he’s just so cool for doing this.

It makes me think about what it would look like if Pastor Greg invited 15 of the most despicable drug dealing, pimping, hardcore murdering, stripper club owning sinners to his house for dinner. What would be think? Would everyone view it the way we view Jesus hanging with tax collectors. I would like to think we would all have the same positive reaction but I’m not sure that would be the case.

It makes me look around my neighborhood and sphere of influence. Who am i inviting into my home? Who am I sitting with? Who am I too afraid to love because others might look down upon me?

Food for thought at the dinner with a sinner.