Playing doctor

This week's verses are Luke 5:27-32:

 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him, leaving everything behind.

Then Levi gave a great banquet in his house for Jesus, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table with them. But the Pharisees and their experts in the law complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered them, “Those who are well don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

 These verses show how God's priorities are radically different than our own. Here, Jesus reaches out to one of the mafia-like thugs who has been shaking down his people for money on behalf of the Roman occupation. These were despicable people. Most Jews at the time hated them and considered them to be traitors.

But Jesus reaches out to the tax thug. He doesn't join the others in condemning him. The tax thug then reaches out to his friends and Jesus accepts their invitation for dinner. 

This too is radical, because eating with someone was like endorsing them. Imagine befriending a traitor, following them on social media, and liking all their posts. What would you think of a pastor who did that?

That's when the Pharisees roll in. The Pharisees were patriotic defenders of the faith. They condemn Jesus with the tax collectors. Just like we probably would.

Who today would reach out to a traitor and offer them eternal life? We might for a clearly repentant traitor, maybe, but one still wearing the uniform of the enemy? We can't even tolerate someone these days who was overheard making a bad joke, one time, over thirty years ago! And here Jesus is spending a precious chunk of his time on earth with a guy he catches in the act of treason itself.

We all have people who have wronged us, who have been traitors to our people, who do things that are clearly evil, but how many of us even pray for their salvation, let alone reach out to share the precious moments of our life with them? We're so far from Jesus. Like the Pharisees, we even judge God for reaching out to people who have done horrible things.

But Jesus explains it. He's not tracking down evil men because he's clueless about who they are. He knows perfectly well what they've done and what is in their hearts. That's the reason he came. He's not there out of ignorance or trying to solicit their services. He's there to bust them out of hell.

We should ask God to teach us his priorities with the people we dislike. When they do things we know are not right, our goal should be to usher them into God's care, not just to stand there making snide comments like the Pharisees did. We should see the need for rescue, not of us, but of them.

This week, try to look at the world from a different perspective, not of a judge sentencing crimes, but of a first responder who has the ability to treat sin. Who most needs your help? Whose restoration would have the greatest impact? Pray for those people and invite them to follow Jesus.