so, as the meal progresses, Jesus is showing true concern for the ‘sinners’ at levi’s home. they are on the receiving end of love for the first time probably in the spiritual lives since they were children, if not at all. Jesus’ presence there in that home was a confirmation of their worth in God’s eyes, and they probably would have stayed there forever with Him.

the pharisees were still at the door questioning the disciples about just what it was their Teacher was doing, whether He realized who it was He was eating with, if He still had any regard for the Law, etc. and Jesus, as much as those people at the party needed to have His attention, had to step in and explain God to the people who were supposed to understand Him and be the example for the community.

He lays it out for them that it isn’t their call to determine who hears about God and who doesn’t. salvation is not theirs to dole out as they see fit. which is good, because they were completely inept at being who they were supposed to be anyway…let alone caring for the people the way they should have been.

it’s not the healthy who need His attention, not the people who seem to have everything together. not the people who attend church at every opportunity. not the people who already take the time to study the Word. not the people whose needs are being met. not the people whose hearts are in order. not the people who know God already. not he people who have been schooled on the rules, the in’s & out’s of living a God-honoring life. Jesus wasn’t here for them…they should be in pretty good shape because of God’s work in their lives already.

yes, He still has time for those people. yes, He still has concern for those people. yes, He still loves and cares for those people. but they aren’t the ones bleeding out on the operating table. they aren’t the ones suffering from diseases of the soul. they are not the ones who need His attention the most, and having to come answer petty questions from a bunch of spiritual buzz kills is not where He was needed at that moment. but rather than let someone who plays a doctor on tv try to do an operation, He steps in and takes over.

Jesus explains to them that the sick are the ones who need Him.

the downtrodden and rejected need Him.

the poor and disenfranchised need Him.

the wayward and the worldly need Him.

the depraved and the dying need Him.

the lost and confused need Him.

the hopeless and alone need Him.

who are we inviting to our parties? who are we introducing to Jesus? the healthy and ‘safe’ people? great. but they aren’t the ones on the heart donor list. they aren’t the ones whose lives are on the line. we don’t want to rob people from one church to the next. what’s the point? to fluff up our numbers with people who are all spiritually healthy to begin with? what good is that? who does that profit? no one.

instead, we need to find the depraved and the wicked and attend to their wounds.

we need to seek out the lost and the broken and lift them up to their feet, and teach them to walk in Christ Jesus.

we need to bring the hungry to the storehouse of everything that is good, and lay out a feast for them.

quit trying to ‘evangelize’ the saved, and ask your waiter where he goes to church. leave your church going ‘safe’ neighbors to keep on growing in Christ, and instead go to the house no one visits and invite them along with you for Bible study. make conversation in the check out line and become ‘that person’ who will talk to anyone and everyone about God, seeking out those who are sick.

we are all waiting room attendants, and e.r. nurses. Jesus is the resident on call. we do triage, He fixes the heart and brings them back from death. quit throwing the healthy onto a table when the dying need the operation.

Father God, help us to see the sick, the needy, the hopeless. Help us to get off our blessed assurance and uncork our mouths. there are so many who need You, so many who are still in shock from the injuries and don’t understand the seriousness of their wounds. use our hands to apply pressure to the bleeding while you stitch them back up. use our hands to calm them as you stabilize their vitals…and for Your sake, let us concentrate our efforts on those who actually need help.

forgive us for treating the person with the sniffles over the one who has been shot through the heart.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Spirit have mercy.

amen.