Jesus and the Table
While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Mark 2:13-17
Jesus was sitting at a table with sinners and tax collectors. And he wasn’t just sitting with them - he was eating with them. This was a very confusing sight for the “teachers of the law” to see. Why would someone choose to sit with sinners?
Again we see that Jesus is not far from us - he is much closer than we think. His love is so great that he sits among sinners. He sits with them because he desires for them to be free.
Maybe you don’t identify as the sinners Jesus was sharing a table with - you may think like the Pharisees and wonder why someone so wise would sit with the losers.
But the truth is we are all sinners - we fall short of the greatness of God. Nothing we can do on our own can change that.
But, here’s the thing - we have been invited to not just sit with, but to dine with God. By this I mean that when we choose to accept the gift of God’s grace through Jesus we get to enjoy it, we get to experience it. We get to “taste and see” for ourselves just how wonderful God is.
Who would you expect to see at God’s “table”?
Have you accepted the invitation not just to sit - but to dine?
Prayer for Today
God, thank you for inviting everyone to your table. Help me to see and experience the grace that you offer everyone. Thank you for you great love for me.