ACE #311: Have You Sinned Lately?

Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners

Mark 2

13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 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.

15 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. 16 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?”

17 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.”

In this narrative, Jesus has gained a new follower (Levi), who by the world's standards, was not worthy enough to follow Jesus in the first place.  Tax collectors, also known as publicans, were not viewed in a favorable manner.  They got wealthy from taxing and cheating other people.  They were considered to be, in many cases, just evil. 

Then here comes the teachers of the law, the same teachers that keep showing up to stir the pot, asking the question, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  They were sneering up their noses at people who they thought were "less than" or "unworthy" of the company of the Savior because they were sinners. But Jesus sets them straight as healthy people do not need a doctor, while sick people do. He then said, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Jesus was not there to help those who already thought they were good enough - or the best of the best - but rather the people who knew they needed Him, but also those who wanted more of Him.  He wasn't interested in maintaining a "clean" image like the Pharisees.  Jesus looked beyond the cultural beliefs and into the hearts of the people...beyond the labels, beyond the stereotypes, and certainly beyond "business as usual."

Do you really want the truth?  Well...here it goes.  We have all sinned! And dare we sit in the presence of God in the church pews, in the judgment seat, or elsewhere? We sin in thought, word, or deed...probably every day if we want to be really honest about it.

Do you remember the time that young girl came in church with that short skirt and you thought, she should know better? Thought...

Do you remember when the waiter got your order wrong and you responded with a sarcastic, rude or straight up ugly remark? Word...

Do you remember when you refused to contribute to your supervisor's Christmas because you didn't think s/he deserved anything, especially from you? Deed...

We are encouraged to be holy...period.  We are expected to keep God's commandments. More importantly, we can receive the grace, through faith, that God gives us to be greater in Him than our sins could ever be. 

Just make sure to do a self-check before you go looking down on other people...your kindness can make the difference in someone else coming to Christ...or not.

1 Peter 1:16
for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

1 John 5:3
In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome...

Romans 3:23-24

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.