Eating with a Sinner.

All the people saw this and began to mutter "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "
Luke 19:7

How many times have we muttered this ourselves, "he has gone to be the guest of a sinner." How many times have we looked at the actions of another person and made a judgement based on our own feelings, our own perspectives. Why is that person doing this or why is that person hanging out with him? Or did you see that new family in the church? I wonder why they are here. It is one of the things that we don't want to admitt to happening but we all no that it does.

Here, in this camp people make judgements all the time about others. I wish I could tell you how many times I have heard the expression "those people" refering of course to anybody not the same as the person speaking. We all have our own standards and those are the standards that we look at others through. It is one of the things that we are supposed to get past as Christians, and only focus on the person at hand.

In the verse jesus has gone to the house of Zacchaeus, a little Tax Collector who so desperatly wanted to see the Lord that he climbed a tree as he was walking by. So you know just like now people don't like to pay their taxes. Back then however Tax collectors were notorious for tacking a little extra for themselves and for being a little to close to thye Romans for which they paid taxes. So for our sake now, place any walk of life in the spot of tax collector that you may think that fits so the story becomes relevant to you.

So now that we have all placed, even for just a brief thought the person that we would not want to be with in the story I will move on. By the way, if you did think of someone then this message may be more relevant then you think! So Jesus sees this short Tax Collector who so wants to see Him up in the tree and calls out His name, Zacchaeus, and tells him to get out of the tree and take him to his house for a meal.

This is when the crowd mutters, "oh" did you see that? They are seeing only the person who they dispise, the Tax collector. Place the person you thought of before here. They are not seeing what Jesus sees. A man seeking to see, and know Him, as Lord and Savior. Obviously the man was excited as he climbed the tree to get a look. Jesus knew him by name so in my mind maybe the man in his heart had been trying to do the right thing and been seeking His Savior for a while now. What ever the case, the crowd saw the sinner, the man they didn't like only.

I had mentioned before about the use of the term "them and they" here at the Camp. It has never been uttetred by the Foriegn Nationals it is always an Expat or someone of dramitically different economic status then the others. WHat they miss is the human being that is standing before them. The person of a different culture who just hasn't been brought up in the same way. They miss that there may be somone with reall need standing in front of them and only see "them".

Jesus saw the opportunity and the faith. He sees that this man regardless of what he is doing in his life or what he may only know to do, is seeking to know the Lord. Jesus wants to fellowship with Him and be in contact where He can most appropriately connect with Him. He will sit and enjoy a meal and allow Him the opportunity to know Him. He doesn't need to be in a tree, they will sit together.

So as they eat, as they sit in fellowship, two men, without regard to the "sin". Jesus said to him, "Today salvations has come to this house, becasue this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Luke 19:9-10 The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. Seek what is lost. The same is true for us.

We are to Follow Him, and therefore we also are to seek waht is lost. We are to see the things that have fallen and moved away from the Lord, moved away from fellowship with God and find the opportunities to bring them the Savior. It is easy to be the one in the crowd only seeing the sin and the differences, but stepping past that you must step in faith.

Move past any steriotypes you may have. Move past any misconceptions of who you can be with and who you can't. Just follow Christ and move to the need. Find the ones that are looking over the crowd in eager anticipation and fellowship with them. Find the ones that may only feel the eyes on them and not the love they should feel from us. Be as Christ is and step towards all who seek Him and bring bring salvation to the lost.

Lord God, if you saw us the way we see others, none of us would be acceptable. Thankfully, you accepted me in my sin and gave me your Grace freely when I asked for it. May we all know this same Grace. May we all accept any who seek you freely and lead them to that same grace.