Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near
to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives
sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:1-2
The above verses bring tremendous comfort to my soul. What a sweet thought it is: Jesus dines with sinners! He graciously engages those that are far from Him. As
He says in another place, He did not come for the healthy, but for the sick (Luke 5:31-32).
Yes friend, the Great Physician came for you and me.
While I
sip from this cup of comfort, I must also admit its bittersweet notes of
conviction; for it was Jesus’ very dinner party that infuriated the
Pharisees. “How dare He dine with them!”
Has such hardness of heart ever described you? Have you ever been guilty of
gazing upon this lost world or even worse, Christ’s bride, with the foggy log-blurred vision of the self-righteous (Matthew 7:3-4)? Unfortunately, not only has this been
me before, but my flesh still attempts to usurp the Spirit’s power each day. I’ve inwardly
celebrated my exterior appearance and basked in the false security of my own rule-keeping
and apparent “goodness.” Even worse, I’ve neglected the fact that Jesus dines
with sinners and that I am counted a faithful member of such a group.
A soul
that misses the message communicated through our Savior’s interaction in this
passage may miss the Savior Himself. Jesus came for the lost (please read the
rest of Luke 15). He came to seek and save! And believer, are we not called to
do the same? Have we not been commissioned to share gospel hope to the
downcast, to push back forces of darkness with the glorious Light of the
world, to seek the marginalized and social outcast, and to love like those who
have been forgiven of much?!
Now to
be clear, Scripture does not say that Jesus caroused with the ungodly and reveled
with the rebellious; nor does it say He debased Himself with those indulging in
debauchery. Therefore, may it never be said of us either! What it says is this: Jesus dined with sinners…and because He did, they were all drawing near to Him.
Perhaps it has been so long ago that you’ve forgotten, but dear brother, remember that He once paid visit to you in your kitchen nook as well. He came to
dine with a sinner like you! Oh, but your heart’s home was well kept you say…
There were no stories of drunkenness or addiction, no divorce, abandonment or
neglect in your family story - no struggles with sexuality, no lusts, no fits of
rage. You’ve never misrepresented yourself or others, and you can’t remember
desiring anything that wasn’t yours. To sum it up, you really have no big regrets from
chasing the world’s empty promises of fame and fortune… While that is
remarkable and something one should be grateful for, it doesn’t disqualify you
from being in desperate need of the Savior’s seeking and saving; for your very
best is as filthy rags before a perfect, holy, and righteous God (Romans 3:9-12).
Our
Jesus not only has the power to transform the staunchest of sinners to saints,
He is gracious to save us from our own wicked self-righteousness too! May we
not live in the poisonous judgment of the Pharisees but in the freedom of the
redeemed. Might we also not use such a passage to cover our own sinful desires
under the guise of “missional living”
but might the Lord develop within us, hearts that seek to genuinely reach this
world in which we live.
Father, make us a church and a people composed of families that find comfort in a God who dines with
sinners and help us to obediently respond in repentance whenever Your Spirit convicts us of
our sinfulness and self-righteous error. Sweet Jesus, come and dine with us! Lord, save us from ourselves… Lead us to new tables where Your grace and mercy might be both shared and received. Let us tell of Your works of redemption and be part of Your future stories of grace and growth. For our joy and your glory, may we make much of You
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