A Study In Luke - Day 5
Day 5 - Luke 5:27-32
27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.
29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”
31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
I got an email from one of my favorite people asking this question in particular. They wondered if we were supposed to sit with those who could be considered less desirable. They were making the case that while it seems like a great thing that Jesus did, for us to do it might put our families in jeopardy.
It was a reasonable question from a reasonable person, and the model that we see Jesus showing us would say that we are supposed to cultivate relationships with people who are considered by society as less than desirable to be around. And yes, what Jesus has shown us is an incredible compassion for the marginalized, the discredited, and the outliers.
A few things might be worth noting at this point.
1) While we are not Jesus, we do desire to be like him, to emulate his works and words, and to put the philosophy of compassion into our lives. It is possible to do this in many different ways, some of which may look like what Jesus did, and some may not.
For instance, we have a free medical clinic that serves many who lack the basic building blocks of healthcare. We do not take these people into our homes, but we assume some of the risks they live with daily. This is following in the footsteps of Jesus as we care for the most marginalized in our community.
2) Jesus had a knack for making sure that he didn’t leave people in the situations where he found them. Jesus had a way of motivating people, with their love for him, to change, to grow, to find a new freedom, and to no longer be bound by their sin.
This becomes more difficult for us to emulate, although we can continue to work to find ways to help people grow as well. By helping to give the most marginalized around us agency and opportunity, we can also follow in the ways of Jesus by motivating people to live differently with our help.
One other note: We can’t fix everything and everyone. Only Jesus can do that. This reality does not stop us from demonstrable work in our communities, but I have seen well-meaning people beat themselves up because they can’t fix all of the ills of society. Our job is to make the changes where we can, in the greatest spirit that we have. Let us not be overwhelmed by our inability to save everyone, but be diligent in who we are called to help!
27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.
29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”
31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
I got an email from one of my favorite people asking this question in particular. They wondered if we were supposed to sit with those who could be considered less desirable. They were making the case that while it seems like a great thing that Jesus did, for us to do it might put our families in jeopardy.
It was a reasonable question from a reasonable person, and the model that we see Jesus showing us would say that we are supposed to cultivate relationships with people who are considered by society as less than desirable to be around. And yes, what Jesus has shown us is an incredible compassion for the marginalized, the discredited, and the outliers.
A few things might be worth noting at this point.
1) While we are not Jesus, we do desire to be like him, to emulate his works and words, and to put the philosophy of compassion into our lives. It is possible to do this in many different ways, some of which may look like what Jesus did, and some may not.
For instance, we have a free medical clinic that serves many who lack the basic building blocks of healthcare. We do not take these people into our homes, but we assume some of the risks they live with daily. This is following in the footsteps of Jesus as we care for the most marginalized in our community.
2) Jesus had a knack for making sure that he didn’t leave people in the situations where he found them. Jesus had a way of motivating people, with their love for him, to change, to grow, to find a new freedom, and to no longer be bound by their sin.
This becomes more difficult for us to emulate, although we can continue to work to find ways to help people grow as well. By helping to give the most marginalized around us agency and opportunity, we can also follow in the ways of Jesus by motivating people to live differently with our help.
One other note: We can’t fix everything and everyone. Only Jesus can do that. This reality does not stop us from demonstrable work in our communities, but I have seen well-meaning people beat themselves up because they can’t fix all of the ills of society. Our job is to make the changes where we can, in the greatest spirit that we have. Let us not be overwhelmed by our inability to save everyone, but be diligent in who we are called to help!
- Who do you think Jesus is calling you to help in your capacity?
- How do you think that help will be received?
- Are there organizations that are already doing great things that you can join with?
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