THE WRONG KIND OF PEOPLE
LUKE 5:29-32 NKJV
29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 30 And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" 31 Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
We often mistakenly think that Jesus was beloved by everyone. Not so. Jesus was viewed by many as a radical and way off in His dealings with people. One of the biggest complaints against Jesus was the people He associated with.
In this passage, Levi, better known as Matthew, threw a major party for Jesus in his own house. We probably don't talk enough about what Matthew gave up to follow Jesus. Being a tax collector was a lucrative career. Tax collectors were rich and hated.
So, it's no wonder that this party was filled with tax collectors and other people of questionable character. Because tax collectors worked for the Romans and took from their own countrymen, they were a despised group.
And here we find Jesus at the party. The scriptures call it a feast. Feasts were the major parties of that day. Food was not always plentiful, so when a tax collector gave a feast, it was undoubtedly a big deal. And there was Jesus in the middle of it. It was a party in His honor.
And it burned up the scribes and Pharisees who would never eat with such unclean sinners. There was most likely music and noise and backed up traffic around Matthew's house, and the Pharisees are steamed.
Jesus was so simple in His response to their complaint. These were the people He was called to reach. Those that needed God. Those who needed repentance.
Jesus also sat down to eat with Pharisees. But He was never treated well in their homes.
APPLICATION:
One of the challenges we still see today is the tendency to separate ourselves from those who need God.
I am not advocating hanging out at wild parties, especially if you need to break from that lifestyle.
But our mentality should be to reach out to those who need the Savior. Where would we be without the mercy and grace of God?
I enjoy fellowship with fellow believers. But I can't lose sight of those who need God's grace and salvation.
PRAYER:
Lord, help me be a better light to those who are in darkness.