Later Jesus and His disciples were at home having supper with a collection of disreputable guests. Unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become followers.
Such read the sentences of The Message’s paraphrase of Mark 2:15. Here sits Jesus, surrounded by disreputable characters, seemingly having a good time with the local riffraff. Over and over, we find the Holy One hanging with the undesirables of His day — prostitutes, tax collectors, common laborers, swindlers — notable sinners and outcasts all. And unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them became His followers.
Funny how often the very ones we think are furthest from knowing God are the ones who end up becoming His friends. This is evidenced by His companionship with the likes of Levi and Mary Magdalene and Saul and yours truly. Yes, thankfully, the Lord chooses to keep company with the likes of me, too.
Though I recognize my desperate need for a Savior as I flounder in my own sin-sickness, I can’t help but wonder where I would have stood in this scene. Not only was there a collection of Jesus’ disciples alongside Levi and the folks still hung up in their nasty habits. There was also another crowd on the fringes. It seems the upstanding religious elite noticed the company Jesus was keeping. And they couldn’t help but offer their two cents’ worth (which might just be an overestimation of the value to Jesus).
I smile at Eugene Peterson’s choice of words for the encounter between this rough-around-the-edges crowd and the smug traditionalists. The religious scholars and Pharisees saw Him keeping this kind of company and lit into the disciples, “What kind of example is this, acting cozy with the riffraff?”
What kind of example, indeed. Who does Jesus think He is? Oh, that’s right. He’s pretty confident He is the Son of God who came to save men from their sins. The kind of Savior who chooses to place Himself among people in need of salvation. Those who will welcome Him for dinner and for a lifetime of relationship beyond that. I’m reasonably sure there are no exclusions, no matter your social status.
I wonder what my response might be to this same scenario.
It’s easy to want to reduce Christianity to merely a topic of conversation, a worldview, a religion, or a tradition passed down through generations. But true Christianity is much more than flaunting a talisman for others to admire, or for self to possess. Instead, it is a faith that transforms souls and delivers lives from death. It is a message that comes in the Person of Jesus Christ. With the power to change Levi the tax collector into Matthew the disciple, Simon the fisherman into Peter the Rock, and Saul the persecutor of Christians into Paul the apostle of God. Just to name a few.
Woe to the one who places confines upon Jesus. As Mark 6:3 warns: They tripped over what little they knew about Him and fell, sprawling. And they never got any further.
Limited knowledge of God confined the religious leaders of the day to place finite restrictions upon Him, thereby blockading themselves from the entrance of faith. Because they could not envision Jesus operating beyond the boundaries of their own religious venue, they failed to truly see Him at all.
Jesus is Christianity — a living, consuming Savior who invites the riffraff of the world into a friendship with their Creator.
As I close my Bible upon this portion of Scripture, I wonder just who would show up to join Jesus for dinner today.
I also wonder who might show up to express their disapproval.
Most of all, I wonder if I would be seated at the table with Him or find myself standing among the scoffers.
What about you?