“Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”

Genesis 12; Genesis 13; Genesis 14; Luke 5
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Scripture

Luke 5

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.”

Observation

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other—each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified. Romans 15:5-7

How well do you hang out with people that others may consider “scum”?
Do we accept other people like Jesus accepted us? Or do we reject people because of the way they look, act, smell, or talk? Do we reject people because they are unloving or unkind toward us?

Matthew’s life was changed that day when Jesus took time to go see him and challenged him to become one of his followers. It was only natural for Matthew to gather up his friends for a dinner so they could also have the chance to become Christ followers. When Jesus looked at that group of friends He did not see them as “scum”.

Application

Let’s look around today and try to spend time with someone that might border on what some in this world would call “scum”.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, show me who I need to accept today. Give me Your heart for people. Help me not judge a person by his or her outward appearance or by the addiction that has taken over their life. Help me to look past all of that and give me a heart of compassion for every person that crosses my path today so I can accept them like You accepted me.

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