Who Checked the Guest List?
It was not that Jesus went to parties and loved parties. I suppose most of the religious leaders of his day would have thought it was not really spiritual to go to so many parties, but still that is not what got Jesus in trouble. What got Jesus into trouble, more than anything else in his whole ministry, is “who was on the guest list.”Jesus tended to eat with the kind of people that the religious leaders of his day said were unacceptable. Every time Jesus was at a feast or party, his integrity was questioned because the “wrong kind of people” were there. More than just questioned, the religious people were outraged! They railed against his behavior.What do we conclude from this? Was Jesus soft on sin? Was he condoning bad behavior? Was he playing loose and fast with holiness? The religious people of his day sure thought so. And it is still true today. It is easy to get short with, even hostile against, the very world we are called to love.So, Sunday we will look at the people who shouldn’t have received an invitation to dine with Jesus, but did. We will also try to understand how and why this is still our best posture and position before the world.Blessings,