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- Oct 26, 2007
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When the scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? " When Jesus heard this, he told them, "It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:16-17 HCSB
With the Romans in charge of Israel during Jesus’ ministry, the Jewish people were required to pay taxes to Caesar, and the ones to collect these taxes were considered traitors to both their nation and their faith. To say that tax collectors were unliked was like saying hurricanes are windy.
What the Jews wanted was for the Messiah to show up and overthrow the Roman rulers, punish those who collaborated with their oppressors, and establish a new, harmonious kingdom on earth. They didn’t expect the Messiah to show up and eat with traitors and sinners or butt heads with the religious leaders of the day.
But Jesus doesn’t do what we expect. He welcomes everyone who will listen, regardless of their past allegiances. If Jesus welcomed everyone into a relationship with Him, we must do likewise.
Are there people you don’t think fit in Jesus’ kingdom? Ask God to renew your heart; then invite those folks to dinner. You may find out you were the sick person in need of a doctor all along.
Prayer: Lord, expand my love for everyone You love.
With the Romans in charge of Israel during Jesus’ ministry, the Jewish people were required to pay taxes to Caesar, and the ones to collect these taxes were considered traitors to both their nation and their faith. To say that tax collectors were unliked was like saying hurricanes are windy.
What the Jews wanted was for the Messiah to show up and overthrow the Roman rulers, punish those who collaborated with their oppressors, and establish a new, harmonious kingdom on earth. They didn’t expect the Messiah to show up and eat with traitors and sinners or butt heads with the religious leaders of the day.
But Jesus doesn’t do what we expect. He welcomes everyone who will listen, regardless of their past allegiances. If Jesus welcomed everyone into a relationship with Him, we must do likewise.
Are there people you don’t think fit in Jesus’ kingdom? Ask God to renew your heart; then invite those folks to dinner. You may find out you were the sick person in need of a doctor all along.
Prayer: Lord, expand my love for everyone You love.
