Skip to main content

He Eats With Them?

They got it right!  It was an observation that was accurate and true in every respect.  And yet, the supposed damning indictment that followed actually turned out to be the best news ever.  But more on that in a moment…

For context, in my last blog post, I wrote about seeking the Lord’s presence.  I also noted some compelling reasons, from the Word of God, to do so.  His presence:

·         Gives rest;

·         Is where I experience absolute joy;

·         Is really all that I need;

·         Is where I find safety;

·         Provides the refreshing I need.

Given all that, who wouldn’t want to be in the Lord’s presence?  Well, among those who were part of the observation described above, some did and some didn’t.  Here’s what led to the observation and it also shows who did and who didn’t want to be in the Lord’s presence:

“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear him.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”  (Luke 15:1-2)

The religious leaders rightly observed that the tax collectors and sinners wanted to be in the Lord’s presence.  But that was not the place the religious leaders could stomach being in.  Since they despised tax collectors and sinners, they could never be around Jesus if He was going to hang out with those people.

And the damning indictment?

The religious leaders felt that anyone with any ounce of religious sense would do the same as they did, avoid tax collectors and sinners at all costs.  So when Jesus welcomed tax collectors and sinners and ate with them, to the religious leaders that merited an indictment.  An indictment, by the way, is an accusation of a serious crime or an expression of strong disapproval.  And in this situation, adding indictment upon indictment, since Jesus was hanging out with tax collectors and sinners, that, to the religious leaders meant that Jesus must have been a sinner too!      

And the best news ever?

Jesus welcomes sinners!  Yep, let me repeat that:  Jesus welcomes sinners!

And He still welcomes sinners of all shapes and sizes.  For those who have trusted Him as their Savior, they are welcome to seek His presence and dwell in it!

There and there alone is where we can experience absolute joy and find all that we need!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New Year Trash or Treasure?

You probably know the old saying:  “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.  I am not going to try to prove or disprove it, just look at it from a different angle. Cheryl and I were recently walking on a beach in Florida .  A man was walking along with a bag and was picking up trash and putting it in the bag.  Was he picking up things of value? We also saw a different man walking along the same beach with a metal detector.  He would swing it back and forth and would occasionally stop and dig in the sand.  Was he looking for things of value? Both were intent.  Both were focused.  Both were diligent. I’m guessing that the one picking up trash was not looking for things of value.  I’m also guessing that, by picking up trash, he was valuing the beauty of the beach and didn’t want the trash to mar it.  The one with the metal detector, I’m guessing that he was not looking for metallic items of trash but was looking for...

Don't Get Tripped Up

I do enjoy traveling and I keep an eye out for good prices. I also enjoy looking at trends in travel. For a while, the travel industry focused their advertising on taking those trips that might be on your bucket list.   That faded a bit and I started seeing ads about taking the trip of a lifetime. I guess both those campaigns have been waning since I’ve been seeing information about taking an “epic” trip.   Recently I noticed the phrase “unforgettable trip” in advertising.   More recently, I’ve been seeing promotions about taking “sustainable” trips and even “reconnecting to our roots” trips. As I’ve been pondering these advertising campaigns, I thought I’d consider what their ideas encompass and then look at them from a spiritual perspective: 1.   “ Bucket list trips ” are based on a list of the experiences a person might hope to have before they “kick the bucket” (i.e. die).   While I can certainly come up with a bucket list of trips, I’m thinking a bu...

Above My Pay Grade!

We like things that we can study, know and understand.  Sometimes we find it difficult to accept that there are things that might be hidden from our knowledge and understanding. The Scriptures indicate that there are some things hidden by design:  “The Lord our God keeps certain things hidden. But he makes other things known to us and to our children forever. He does it so we can obey all the words of this law.”  (Deut 29:29) Some versions of the Bible translate the hidden things as “secret things”.  Regardless, there are things which have been revealed and things which are kept hidden from us and remain secret. We may chafe at having to deal with the fact that some things remain hidden, but that’s often when faith and trust come in.  The Psalmist wrote:   “O Lord , my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.”  (Ps 131:1) The Psalmist seem to realize that th...