Meeting Jesus - Jesus Parties With Sinners
Some people believe Jesus is a republican, a democrat, or an independent. Some people believe that Jesus is like a Genie in a bottle–if you rub the lamp through prayer, you get whatever you want. Still, some view Jesus like a Mascot the church rallies around once a week.Over this next year, we are going to seek to understand who Jesus really was,what he was really like, and how you and I can become more like Him.
Jesus, Partied.
That’s right.
Partied.
Just before Luke 5:27, Jesus had healed a paralyzed man whose friends had brought him to Jesus. They climbed the ladder, ripped off the roof, and lowered him down to Jesus.
Jesus said, pick up your mat and go home, and the man was healed. He left celebrating, praising God and the people were all amazed. And as Jesus headed out of town, he ran into Levi the Tax Collector.
Let’s read:
Luke 5:27-32
27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. 29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” 31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
After Levi decided to follow Jesus, he threw a Party with Jesus as the guest of Honor. According to the Pharisees, Jesus was surrounded by low lifes they considered scum of the earth. Sexually immoral people. Corrupt tax-collectors. And according to Jesus response, Jesus seemed to enjoy being there!
Maybe it makes you more comfortable attended the party only to lecture the people. You want Jesus to be the chaperone. You want Jesus to have a clipboard with a list of rules.
For many religious people today, it is easier to think of Jesus as the guy that shuts down the fun and laughter at the party with a devotional about sexual purity. While there is music, dancing, eating and drinking, Jesus is the guy running around separating dancers when they get too close. “Make sure there is room for the Holy Spirit.” or tapping people on the shoulder when they have had too much to drink. He has his arms crossed, shaking his head “no”
Maybe you think Jesus would attend a party and probably ruin it. He is the Debbie Downer. He is like the preacher attending a Superbowl party that preaches a sermon at halftime instead of watching the commercials. But in the Bible, it seems that Jesus became known for attending parties.
In John 2:1-2 Jesus attended a wedding and turned water into wine.
In John 12:2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus honor.
Jesus said in Luke 7:34 (NLT2) 34 The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’
In Luke 15:2 the religious leaders complained that he was always associating with sinful people and eating with them…
Jesus often attended parties, banquets, and celebrations. People invited him into their homes.
BECAUSE he was FUN!
It’s not because he was a Debbie Downer or because he was there to place limits on the fun.
So Jesus partied often. He is the creator of LIFE and he enjoyed LAUGHING and Celebrating with people.
He drank alcohol – but he wasn’t a drunk.
He stuffed his face with good food – but he wasn’t a glutton.
He never sinned – but he ate, drank, and enjoyed the company of sinners.
Jesus was the type of person that many people had a glass of wine with. Now – let’s talk about the guy that threw the party.
Levi would later become known as Matthew…
He would later write the Gospel of Matthew…
and historians tell us that Matthew would be stabbed to death in Ethiopia for telling people about Jesus.
Jesus changed Levi’s life.
BUT
He did not have leprosy.
He was not paralyzed.
He did not have a disease.
He was worse. 😊He was a TAX COLLECTOR. 😊
Tax collectors were viewed as the lowest of the low and the worst of the worst.
They were greedy people that betrayed their own people by working for the occupying Roman government. With the enforcement of the Roman Military, a tax collector could charge as much as he wanted, give the Romans what they wanted, and keep the profit for himself.
At the toll booth, as people passed by they could be taxed any amount the tax-collector desired. HE would observe the tiniest details about those that passed by…if they had a bag of money fastened to their belts…if they wore fancier clothes hidden under rags…they taxed per axel, per cattle, per wheel…
Because of the TAX COLLECTOR, the POOR were kept poor and the wealthy were PROVEN POWERLESS. That is why they were hated so much.
The Jewish people viewed them as traitors. The Romans did not respect them because they betrayed their own people. The Religious Leaders would not even allow Jewish tax collectors to worship! Levi was a wealthy, educated, and sharp businessman – but because he was a tax-collector he was never good enough for other people. Then, Jesus invited Levi to become one of his disciples!
So, if you view yourself as the worst of the worst, and the lowest of the low…you are just the type of person that God can use and the type that Jesus wants to hang out with! If you let him, Jesus can change your life! Because Jesus invited Levi to be one of his disciples, we find an important truth.
SAYING YES TO JESUS MEANS LIVING YES FOR JESUS.
28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. 29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them.
Saying YES to Jesus is not just a one-time decision. Levi said yes, then he stuck with his decision to follow Jesus.
All Levi had ever down in his life was TAKE TAKE TAKE.
Now, because he said yes to following Jesus, he would GIVE GIVE GIVE.
No longer would he be known as a greedy man – now he would be known for his generosity. The very first thing he did was to throw a party with Jesus as the guest of honor.
This party – this was the mother of all parties! Eating, drinking, dancing, celebrating…because he wanted to introduce his old-friends to his new friend, Jesus.
If you have recently become a follower of Jesus.
Meaning. You believe that God created you and loves you. But your sins separated you from God. You believe that Jesus paid the price for your sin. That he died on the cross and he rose from the dead and that one day he will return…and you surrendered your life to Jesus and said “YES.”
Keep living in the YES by introducing your friends to Jesus.
Don’t abandon them. Don’t dismiss them. Don’t go out and find a whole new friend group. Sometimes new followers of Jesus are told they need to stop running with the people they once ran with. Keep those friendships!
I was told to stop running with my old friend because evil company corrupts good habits – and I walked away from many friendships I had with people because I was making new friends who were followers of Jesus. I love those friends to this day – but I lost my influence with my old friends because I walked away from them.
Maybe that is what you experienced. People with good intentions wanted something more for your life and they were afraid that the crowd you once ran with you tear you down and cause you to lose your faith in Jesus. They had good intentions. They loved you. They wanted to see you grow in your faith…and were worried about you falling back into your old way of living.
But – Levi seemed to do just the opposite.
Jesus had shown Levi acceptance, grace, and mercy and Levi wanted his old friends to experience Jesus too.
So…my advice:
THROW A PARTY TO CELEBRATE FORGIVENESS.
What if you invited friends and family over to your home. The churched. The unchurched. People who understand the mission of Jesus and people who don’t.
What if you bought drinks, played music, smoked ribs, laughed and celebrated to the early hours of the morning…to celebrate FORGIVENESS! What if, while you were having a great time, you told them about how Jesus met you where you were, forgave your sins, and made you a different person? That would be AMAZING!
I want Beach Church to continue to reach people – so let’s have fun, celebrate, laugh and enjoy our relationship with God and with others – because life is too hard if we try to be live like the pharisees!
And while we celebrate forgiveness, we need to remember the lesson that Jesus tried to teach the Pharisees.
As followers of Jesus, we need to…
TREAT SINNERS LIKE SICK PEOPLE IN NEED OF HEALING,
NOT CRIMINALS THAT NEED TO BE CONDEMNED.
Like me, I am sure you have noticed that throughout the years, the church has hurt people “in the name of Jesus.”
Rather than treating sinners like sick people in need of healing, the church has treated sinners like criminals that need to be condemned. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus accused the Pharisees and religious leaders of being hypocritical, uncaring, and said they did more harm then good. My concern is that the way Jesus viewed the religious leaders then, is the way Christians are viewed today.
Do you know what unchurched Americans believe about Christians today? According to the book UNCHRISTIAN:
85% of Americans believe Christians are hypocritical.
87% of Americans believe Christians are too judgmental
91% of American believe Christians hate homosexuals
And 75% believe Christians are too political
The Pharisees LOVED to condemn the tax collectors, the sexually immoral, and the notorious sinners of their day. In many ways, the church today has become known for condemning and judging those caught up in sin.
But Jesus partied with them!
Jesus said:
Luke 5:31 (NLT2) “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.
Both Jesus and the Pharisees were in agreement that the people Jesus was with were sinners. But their approach to change their lives were radically different. The Pharisee approach was to condemn them, marginalize them, shun them, and to treat them as the worst of the worst. Jesus approach was to talk with them, celebrate with them, and to show them that GOD did love them and that God wants a relationship with them.
The approach that Jesus took would lead them to life.
The approach of the Pharisees would push them further into sin.
By sitting down with the tax collectors and sinners, Jesus proved that God was not out to condemn or hurt people. It was a sign that he ACCEPTED and LOVED them. He was not merely hanging out with them, but he was intentionally celebrating with them.
So even if you have made the wrong choice and pushed people further away from God in the past, change. Choose to love your neighbor as yourself. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Choose to lead the world to a life-changing relationship with Jesus through your LOVE, not through condemnation.
Keep pursuing a relationship with God. Keep walking in obedience to Him. Never compromise your faith – but choose to love those that disagree with you. Otherwise, we look more like the Religious leaders than true followers of Jesus.