We Are Invited 2

Luke 5:31-32

I recall as a youth listening to the presentations that visiting missionaries would often give at our church. They showed slides of the places they had been to, Third World countries with rampant poverty and great needs. Some of them showed slide after slide of churches they visited, homes where they were treated to fancy meals, and buildings where they had meetings about what people needed.

When these missionaries showed their pictures I would often ask myself, “weren’t they supposed to work while they were there?” Truthfully, I have no idea of all the details of what they did while on their mission trips. While sometimes the pictures indicated they spent their time having fun, I trust they did what they could to help the needy.

But we don’t have to be a visiting missionary to miss out on helping the needy. When confronted about his decision to associate with sinful people, how does Jesus respond? Who needs repentance?

Jesus did not always behave as people might have expected. He healed sick people. He touched lepers. He spoke to prostitutes and tax collectors. This shocked many people around him. They were accustomed to shunning these people. If a person wasn’t perfect it was okay to treat them poorly or ignore them completely.

But Jesus pointed out that he had come not to keep company with folks who were already in he right place spiritually. He was here to help the lost. He was here to give aid to the needy.

Our first thought on this should be, “Thank you.” We are the sick who need a physician. We are the lost who need a guide. We are the sinful people who need be led to repentance.

Our second thought should be about how we are acting. If we will be Christians who imitate Jesus we must be willing to get our hands dirty helping the poor. WE must be willing to risk our finances by assisting the needy. We must be willing to spare the time to feed the hungry.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you help the sick rather than associating with the healthy?