Matthew 9:10 “Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.”
The story of Jesus is about a Savior on a mission to save sinners. If we were choosing a purpose statement for Jesus, we really don’t need to look any further than Luke 19:10 which says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” To reach sinners to save sinners Jesus spent time with sinners. The religious leaders did not think much of this. In Luke 15:2 we read “the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” While the statement was meant to criticize Jesus, it was a beautiful compliment for He does receive sinners!
The verse we consider on 9/10 tells that Jesus sat or reclined at a table in a house in which the worst sinners in the world would then join Him and His disciples. In Luke 5 we have the companion story and Luke says that the house belonged to Matthew, who, as a vile and wicked tax collector, Jesus had just called to follow Him. Luke 5:28 tells us, “Leaving everything, Matthew rose and followed him.” Luke then tells us in verse 29 that “Levi (Matthew) 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.”
As I ponder the actions of Jesus and the reaction of the religious leaders I wonder if we (including myself) who were sinners (vile, wicked, unrighteous, ungodly, filthy, etc. sinners) who have been saved by a loving and forgiving Savior now are more like the religious leaders and not just want to stay away from sinners but altogether work to avoid sinners. Maybe the word seal belongs here. Think about it.
Let’s be clear that Jesus did not accept sinfulness, but He did accept sinners. He was friendly with sinners. Here He has called the vile, wicked, corrupt Matthew to follow Him and in turn Matthew wants his sinful friends to meet the one who changed his life. Jesus did not turn His nose up at them but rather ate with them.
I know that we are not to have fellowship with the workers of darkness. (Eph. 5:11) However, if we are to be an ambassador for Christ in this world we must not avoid sinners but be among them. Our light is to shine in the darkness.
The end result of Jesus having a meal with sinners is found in another companion passage. In Mark 2:15 we read “Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.”
To be blunt with you (and myself) I ask how many lost (vile, wicked, ungodly, unrighteous – sinners) people do you have as friends?
Continue Strong being friendly to sinners to win sinners!
And remember to DATE the Word!