Hospitable Evangelism
| Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to Him, and He began to teach them. As He walked along, He saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with Him and His disciples, for there were many who followed Him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked His disciples: "Why does He eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark2:13-17) |
However, Levi had two things that he could offer:
Firstly, he had a rag tag ragamuffin friendship group comprised of other tax-collectors and people seen as sinners and outcasts. These were people on the fringe of society. They would not easily join the crowds who went to listen to Jesus. In the second place it seems that Levi knew how to throw a good party and so when his life is overturned by Jesus' call, the first thing he does is to host a "Matthew Party". He doesn't organise a crusade or gospel rally - he just invites his friends to meet Jesus. He's just confident that Jesus presence and love will be enough. (Do you see the connection with the Roof Diggers? The best thing you can do for a friend is to bring them to Jesus!)
The "Holy Huddle" (Pharisees and Teachers of the Law) are incensed.
They're convinced that these "bad people" should be avoided and that Jesus should not love them.
Jesus answer is both beautiful and enigmatic.
"I've come to call the sick and not the healthy, the sinners and not the righteous."
The beautiful part is broken people are welcome at His table and to His love.
The enigmatic part is that those who think themselves righteous are not excluded by Jesus, but by their own pride. If people truly believe themselves perfect, they are saying they have no need for God. Once we admit our brokenness, we realise that there are not degrees of brokenness.
We either need forgiveness or we don't. We either need healing or we don't.
May we, like Matthew, take time to let our friends experience the love of Jesus, especially around a meal!
