The Partying Preacher (Mark 2:13-17)
If it’s a Friday night, you know where to find me. I’ll be hanging out at the Buffalo Chip Saloon along with my friends. I’ve been doing it for more than ten years, and I have no intention of quitting. I figure if Jesus partied with tax collectors and sinners, I ought to be doing the same.
After all, that’s exactly what we see him doing in today’s text. Jesus calls a “sinner” to be his disciple, and the next thing you know, he’s hosting a party for him and his friends. The religious folk didn’t like it one bit, but Jesus didn’t care.
It’s a rather scandalous story, if you think about it.
Jesus had already called four fishermen to follow him. Next thing you know, he invited a tax collector named Levi to join the team. Chances are, they knew — and did not like — one another. (His tax booth was by the sea, so it is likely he collected their fish tax.) Now they are expected to live together like family? I wonder how they felt about that.
Next, Jesus hosted a party at his home. Levi (also known as Matthew) and his unsavory friends were invited. Religious people were scandalized, but Jesus was unrepentant. “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners,” he said.
What does this teach us about the Jesus and his kingdom? Several lessons are apparent:
Like Levi, let us never think that our past failures put us outside of Jesus’ love and grace. He welcomes us into his kingdom. All we must do is let go of our past and follow him.
Like the fishermen, let us remember that all who follow Jesus are truly our family (not just the people we like). As we often sing around here, "We are a family, for Christ has made us one."
Unlike those self-righteous critics, let us lay aside our prejudice against whatever groups we think of as “tax collectors and sinners,” and remember that all of us are sinners in need of grace.
Finally, like Jesus, let us live in such a way that people who are far from God find themselves drawn to Jesus by their relationship with us.
To do that, as Jesus taught us in his famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:13-16), we are called to be both salt and light before a watching world.
Like light, we must not be hidden under a basket. Like salt, we must not be tasteless. In both cases, we must be close enough and tasty enough to make a positive difference in people's lives.
Jesus had the perfect mix of each. May God help us to do the same. For when we get the right balance, Jesus promised that people will “see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
For my part, that means, among other things, taking a weekly walk to the Buffalo Chip on Friday nights in order to hang out with my friends. But if you see me in the middle of the ring, I won’t be sitting on the back of a bull. I will be saying the opening prayer.
And if you happen to find me with a drink in my hand, you can be certain that it will be water.
(Oh, I almost forgot! Party at the Chip, tomorrow morning at 9:00. Be there!)
After all, that’s exactly what we see him doing in today’s text. Jesus calls a “sinner” to be his disciple, and the next thing you know, he’s hosting a party for him and his friends. The religious folk didn’t like it one bit, but Jesus didn’t care.
It’s a rather scandalous story, if you think about it.
Jesus had already called four fishermen to follow him. Next thing you know, he invited a tax collector named Levi to join the team. Chances are, they knew — and did not like — one another. (His tax booth was by the sea, so it is likely he collected their fish tax.) Now they are expected to live together like family? I wonder how they felt about that.
Next, Jesus hosted a party at his home. Levi (also known as Matthew) and his unsavory friends were invited. Religious people were scandalized, but Jesus was unrepentant. “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners,” he said.
What does this teach us about the Jesus and his kingdom? Several lessons are apparent:
Like Levi, let us never think that our past failures put us outside of Jesus’ love and grace. He welcomes us into his kingdom. All we must do is let go of our past and follow him.
Like the fishermen, let us remember that all who follow Jesus are truly our family (not just the people we like). As we often sing around here, "We are a family, for Christ has made us one."
Unlike those self-righteous critics, let us lay aside our prejudice against whatever groups we think of as “tax collectors and sinners,” and remember that all of us are sinners in need of grace.
Finally, like Jesus, let us live in such a way that people who are far from God find themselves drawn to Jesus by their relationship with us.
To do that, as Jesus taught us in his famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:13-16), we are called to be both salt and light before a watching world.
Like light, we must not be hidden under a basket. Like salt, we must not be tasteless. In both cases, we must be close enough and tasty enough to make a positive difference in people's lives.
Jesus had the perfect mix of each. May God help us to do the same. For when we get the right balance, Jesus promised that people will “see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
For my part, that means, among other things, taking a weekly walk to the Buffalo Chip on Friday nights in order to hang out with my friends. But if you see me in the middle of the ring, I won’t be sitting on the back of a bull. I will be saying the opening prayer.
And if you happen to find me with a drink in my hand, you can be certain that it will be water.
(Oh, I almost forgot! Party at the Chip, tomorrow morning at 9:00. Be there!)