In the book of Luke we discover a Jesus who is shocking, radical, counter cultural, and offensive. We see a Jesus who loves to party with prostitutes(Luke 13:1-17) and the outcasts of the society. The tax collectors and ‘sinners’ love him, the lepers love him, the widows love him, While the pious, religious, well behaved moral people take offense to him(Luke 11:45) and can not relate to what he was about; the outrageous, scandalous grace of God.
In reading the book of Luke, one can not help but to notice how he interacts with the social outcasts of the day. Instead of looking down upon them, rejecting them, despising them, he shares a meal with them. He offers them grace.
What is the Son of Man doing when he comes to earth? The Jews expected him to come defeating God’s enemies and vindicating his people but instead he shares a meal with the lowly. God comes to earth and he shares a meal with his enemies. The leaders respond by calling him a glutton and a drunkard(Luke 7:34), while the ‘sinners’ respond by sitting at his feet(Luke 7:38)
The ones who considered themselves good with God, seem to be furthest away from him, while those who were considered the furthest from him, are joining in intimacy with him. This is a game changer.
Jesus meets broken people where they are at, interacts with them, and then he turns them into worshipers. He speaks into their situation and their life is forever changed and he doesn’t care about the cultural norm. He accepts them, forgives them, and joins into relationship with them, as it was always meant to be.
God has sat down and eaten with sinners. When he sat down with Levi, he was sitting down with me. Despite my uncleanliness, my sin, my past, the baggage that I have. Despite all my good works, and all of my bad works, Jesus has offered me relationship. He offers to meet me where I am at. I come as I am, join relationship with him and have forever been changed. I do not obey, in order gain acceptance from him but because I am accepted I will obey.
In reading the book of Luke, one can not help but to notice how he interacts with the social outcasts of the day. Instead of looking down upon them, rejecting them, despising them, he shares a meal with them. He offers them grace.
What is the Son of Man doing when he comes to earth? The Jews expected him to come defeating God’s enemies and vindicating his people but instead he shares a meal with the lowly. God comes to earth and he shares a meal with his enemies. The leaders respond by calling him a glutton and a drunkard(Luke 7:34), while the ‘sinners’ respond by sitting at his feet(Luke 7:38)
The ones who considered themselves good with God, seem to be furthest away from him, while those who were considered the furthest from him, are joining in intimacy with him. This is a game changer.
Jesus meets broken people where they are at, interacts with them, and then he turns them into worshipers. He speaks into their situation and their life is forever changed and he doesn’t care about the cultural norm. He accepts them, forgives them, and joins into relationship with them, as it was always meant to be.
God has sat down and eaten with sinners. When he sat down with Levi, he was sitting down with me. Despite my uncleanliness, my sin, my past, the baggage that I have. Despite all my good works, and all of my bad works, Jesus has offered me relationship. He offers to meet me where I am at. I come as I am, join relationship with him and have forever been changed. I do not obey, in order gain acceptance from him but because I am accepted I will obey.
Beautiful! Truer words have never been spoken- Cori
ReplyDeleteawesome explanation, glory to God. The ones who think are the closest are the farthest, and those who are far away come to kneel at his feet, repenting.
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