After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Luke 5:27-32 NKJV)

While analyzing this week’s passage, a few verses of Crowder’s “Come as You Are” came to mind:

Come out of sadness from wherever you've been;

Come broken-hearted, let rescue begin;

Come find your mercy, oh sinner come near;

Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't heal… 

There's hope for the hopeless and all those who've strayed;

Come sit at the table, come taste the grace;

There's rest for the weary, rest that endures;

Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't cure.

This week, we read Luke’s story of a tax collector named Levi, whom Jesus calls to be a disciple. One day, Levi throws a party, and invites many other tax collectors, and the curious nature of the Pharisees led them to stumble into the party as well. The tax collectors are shamed, looked down upon, and hated by most of their neighbors. The Pharisees wanted to restore Israel’s independence, without Jesus’ help as Messiah. Yet, Jesus chooses to eat with the tax collectors and spend time with them. The Pharisees are offended by this and ask Jesus, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 

Jesus isn’t ashamed of the “extra sinful, extra messy” people he eats with. In fact, it is almost the opposite. Jesus is proud that he gets the opportunity to be a light in these peoples’ lives. He encourages them to come to the table “as they are,” with all of their scars and weariness. He does not say, “Only the healed and followers can eat with me.”

We should look at the world around us, especially our neighborhood, in a similar way. We shouldn’t ignore the people who are firm in their faith and hardly struggling.  However, we need to also pay attention to those in our community who might be struggling or weak in their faith. We cannot simply push them away from the table because they need a little more help. As the hands and feet of Christ, we should remind our neighbors that they can always come as they are. 

If you see or know a neighbor who is struggling, how can you invite them to come to Christ's table, just as they are?