Nine

Jesus takes delight in calling the Rif-Raf to himself. Those on the fringes; the outcasts; the marginalised and the broken - each one of them had been cast aside by the religious people of his day, but Jesus saw these people with different eyes. He saw them as they could BECOME and not as they were in the moment. He had the compassion to look beyond the dirty clothes, dirty lives and dirty souls - Jesus knew that if they chose to come to His Father, they would be changed for ever.

"While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” - Matthew 9:10-13

Let us take Jesus' words to heart this week and contemplate what it means to 'desire mercy' and 'not sacrifice.'

Question: Who deserves MERCY in your community/family this week?

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Making room for Zacchaeus

 

 

I am not sure I would have ever invited Zacchaeus for a family meal in our home. He was the kind of guy everyone loved to hate and many people showed their dislike of him in the way they treated him. However, Jesus saw him in a different light. Jesus had such an amazing gift of seeing the potential in people and looking beyond their sins in order to draw them into the Kingdom.

While most religious people were shaking their heads at Jesus's decision to hang out with sinners, Jesus was busy revealing God's love for Zacchaeus's of this world. When most Pharisees were afraid that the sins of others may rub off on them, Jesus was allowing Grace and Mercy to transform people desperate for God.

There are so many lessons in the story of Zacchaeus, but the one I leave us with is this: "Are we willing to make room for sinners in our midst? Will we make another place available at our table so they can join us?"

^"When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” - Luke 19:1-10

Living in Grace
D3LM3