Matthew 9:9
Mark 2:13,14
Luke 5:27,28
A famous person you admire is coming to dine with you tomorrow. What would you do to get ready?
- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- Tax collectors lined their pockets with money they collected. How might the disciples (Luke 5:1-11) feel about Jesus' choice?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How will I
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
Some Unusual Suspects (Luke 5:27-32) by Toby Levering
Eating With Sinners
Mark 2:15-17
Luke 5:29-32
- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- Why choose Levi? What is the irony here? (Luke 5:31-32)
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How will I
- In this story, what do you have to do to qualify as a disciple?
- In the way you relate to "undesirable types," are you more like Levi (inviting them to your party), the Pharisees (looking down on them), or the disciples (unsure what to do)? Why?
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
Mark 2:16 ‐‐ “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”?’"
The life of a follower of Christ is a pretty “cush”
place to be – eternal life without fear of what comes after death; abundance
and peace personally delivered by the Spirit of God; and nice friends who are
comfortable being around. It would be
easy to focus only on what Christ has brought you… if it weren't for those five
pesky words after the first and greatest commandment – “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
If eternal life, peace, abundance, and the
fellowship of believers are great for you, surely you love the unbeliever
enough to want them to have the same?
Human nature is comfortable with gravitating towards that which is
easiest and most pleasurable, but Jesus constantly demonstrated a lifestyle
that cared more about others. Jesus
lived an intentional life to love others:
When He and His followers were hungry, He saw the hunger of the 5,000;
when Jesus was being wined and dined by the rich and powerful, He saw a
repentant woman who was worshipping Him with her treasured possession; when
Jesus was pressed in by the crowds desiring to hear and see Him, He saw their
oppressed and helpless nature; when cultural norms expected certain behavior,
Jesus responded according to the person’s soul and not cultural norms.
Jesus could have easily just fed Himself, enjoyed
the adulation of the rich and famous, quenched His thirst, and found
gratification in the thousands clamoring to Him… but He loved others more than
Himself. His every movement, every word,
and every opportunity were filled with being used by God to touch the lives of
others no matter the discomfort, cost, or inconvenience.
In John 4:34 Jesus revealed to His disciples His
passion when they challenged His time with the woman at the well, “My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of
Him Who sent Me and to finish His work.” The Father’s
work for Jesus was to love people.
Loving people was not a ministry project, but the very nourishment and
fulfillment of His life. Bringing others
to the throne of God to have eternal life and to experience His abundance was
His greatest joy.
Pray for God not only to give you opportunities to
be “salt and light” for Christ, but that your soul and spirit are fed by loving
others more than yourself. Pray that
your soul hungers for the opportunity to share Christ and His love so that you
are filled with the love of Christ!
John 13:34‐35 ‐‐ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one
another. By this all men will know that
you are My disciples, if you love one another."
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Other Resources:An Outsider's Story
Further Reading
The Kingdom of God as a New Way of Living in the World
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