No Time Like the Present

 Luke15:1-2
 ^1-3By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, "He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends."

I wonder why the Pharisees were grumbling? Obviously, there was a difference of opinions. The Pharisees and Jesus had two completely different value systems. The Pharisees, with all their pomp and self-righteousness, thought more highly of their laws and regulations, not to mention their position. For them, you needed to hang around the right kind of people. Those folks Jesus was around were sinful and dirty.  These were not high on the priority list in the eyes of the Pharisees.

God, on the other hand, placed a high value on people, all kinds of people, and on salvation. He loved them completely enough to make a way for them to come back to him even after they had left him, or done everything he had ever told them not to do, and even those who rejected him. God's priority is on people and on their salvation.  Look what Jesus was doing.

Jesus was always seeking sinners to turn to God. He was talking with…

• The demon-possessed man who lived in the cemetery, saying, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (Mk. 5:1-20).
• The sinful woman who anointed him, saying, “Your many sins are forgiven” (Lk. 7: 36-50).
• The thief on the cross, saying, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk. 23:40-43).
• Zacchaeus the tax collector, saying, “I must stay at your house today…Today salvation has come to this house…For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Lk. 19:1-10).
• Adulterous woman at the well, saying, “You have had 5 husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband…I who speak to you am (the Messiah)” (Jn. 4:1-26, 39-42).
• He sent the apostles on a mission to seek sinners, for: “repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name” (Lk. 24:47; Mt. 28:18-20; Jn. 20:21-23; Acts 1:8).

It’s easy to find ourselves stuck in the grind of everyday. We get into the same weekly routine and take little time to think about what we are actually doing for God.

The secret to moving forward, in life, in school, in a job, in your faith, in church and community is that you have to be constantly learning and growing, and be aware of that learning and growth.  And to do that, you need to find learning in unexpected places.

I think of every experience as an opportunity to learn about myself and others, even the difficult moments.  Sometimes we learn the most when things go wrong.  Instead of complaining about it (and wasting energy), ask yourself, “What have I learned about myself from this experience?” and move on.

This scripture is a learning moment for us.  If we follow the example Jesus gives us, we should be hanging around the wrong crowd.

Do we really have compassion and love for lost sinners? Are you a friend of sinners? Are you eating with sinners? Are you seeking lost sinners to help them out of sin?

What types of people are you willing to be around, for the sake of Christ and his gospel? Are there people you would let perish, rather than associate with them? What is your attitude toward "sinners" (people you consider worse than yourself)?

Remember that Jesus came to show us what it means to love God with all our heart/soul/mind, and to love our neighbor (including enemies and people we don't like to be around) as we love ourselves. He did NOT come to reinforce the "religious system" of that day (or of our day), which excused the absence of love. Whether or not we are following his example is best seen by the way we interact with "unlovable" people - those who are not part of our "group." In what ways are you going to reflect Jesus' love this week?

Jesus was willing to hang around with people who needed the good news and were willing to listen. Are you? If you find yourself grumbling, maybe God is placing a challenge before you.

Are you growing?  Are you pushing yourself forward?  There is no time like the present to begin to hang around the wrong types of people. It’s a part of our mission: reaching, teaching, healing and resting.