Dining with Sinners

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” -Luke 15:1-2

Agree to disagree. I am offended. We don’t see eye to eye. It’s ok to have an opinion as long as you agree with me.

Does all this sound familiar? This rhetoric is all over the news channels. We are inundated on social media. We live in a wounded and broken world. We face problems on a scale we have never experienced before. People are hurting. We are facing a serious shortage of kindness towards one another.

Or maybe this isn’t something new. People even grumbled and aired their opinion about Jesus and who he chose to hang out with. In fact, He even welcomed sinners to His table and ate dinner with them. The nerve! Didn’t He know that that went against social convention? You just didn’t do that!

Praise God that He did; still does! Those very sinners are no one but ourselves. We too are called to the table and have the great privilege of dining with the Savior. He came to do that very thing. His example of grace for those that didn’t agree with Him points out to us that we should be doing the very same. We need to show grace and humility towards those we encounter, even if they don’t agree with us! Now more than ever. Take the time to understand others and where they are coming from. Pray for them, show grace and kindness. I’ve heard it said recently that we are all in the same storm but not on the same boat. What boat are you in?

In a world full of choices, choose kindness!

Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! -Psalm 34:3