We Need You! Why Jesus Conscripts Sinners 

Journal Entry. Simon. About 30A.D

I began following Jesus around Galilee a year or so ago, witnessing the power of the Gospel he proclaims, not only in the breathtaking words he says, like "the Kingdom of God is within you!", but also in the demonstration of that reality – people healed from lifelong diseases, demons being cast out, and let us not forget his first one — turning water into wine! We disciples particularly enjoyed that one!

Somehow through Rabbi Jesus, heaven and earth meet, and the rule and the reality of God comes bursting into the present. Through him, the effects of sin and death are reversed, as God's presence brings wholeness, healing, and freedom. Hallelujah! 
 
Sometimes we wonder if it's all too good to be true, but how could we deny it when it is happening all around us? We are excited about what is next. Just the other day, after Rabbi Jesus returned exhausted from spending a day healing the sick, he went to bed, and we all sat up speculating well into the early hours of the morning. 

With him, surely anything is possible! Shall we march on to the capital and overthrow the Romans? Shall we send them back to the hell hole they crawled out of? Shall we take control of the city and watch the people flock in from all over the world as the prophecies come true? “Tremble before him, all the earth!” Psalm 96:9

We will see, I guess. The possibilities flitter across my mind as we trek along the Via Maris. On our right the Sea of Galilee glitters in the afternoon sun, flecked with the fishing boats of our brothers who are out making the most of the afternoon winds which stir up the fish and fill their nets. As we approach Capernaum, a small square building stands resolutely beside the road, its white-washed walls glimmering with the yellow hues of the afternoon sun. 

I spat. Tax collector. I know this one, his name is Matthew, although he's also known as Levi. He is watching the fisherman as they come in, his small eyes darting from their nets to their baskets, coldly calculating, one hand tapping lightly in the window sill, the other scribbling on a ledger. I never could understand how one of our own kind, a Jew, could sell out his brothers to the Romans. Here he was growing fat off our revenues as our little ones starved. 

As we approach him I feel a throbbing in my neck and hear my heartbeat thumping in my ears. I think of the fireballs of Sodom and Gomorrah, and I turn to our Rabbi to make a suggestion. 

But Jesus is already looking at Matthew, a playful smile dancing across his lips. Oh, this is going to be good!

As we walk by, Jesus cups his hands to his mouth and takes a deep breath.

"Follow me!" He cries.

What? Did I hear that right? There's no hint of sarcasm or anything untoward in his tone. He simply cries out and then keeps walking, that small smile still dancing across his lips.

I look over and Matthew is hastily sliding his window shut. It looks like something spooked him for sure. But wait, he's shoving things in a bag, he's bursting out the door off the side, and now he's shambling toward us.

What is going on? 

*** 

The above is a creative extrapolation of just two lines in the Bible. Matthew 9:9-11.

'As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. 

"Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.'

That night Jesus and his disciples ate at Matthew's house and we are told that "many sinners came and ate with him". Not just one. Many. This attracted the attention of the Pharisees and also the disciples of John the Baptist, both of whom challenged Jesus about both the type of people he ate with and also the festive spirit with which he dined. 

Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick... For I have not came to call the righteous, but sinners."
 
Why?

Why doesn't Jesus choose the religious who have shown excellence in their calling and who have capacity to teach and learn, or disciples like John the Baptist's who are disciplined and self-sacrificing in the service of God?

This is a question that many Christians still struggle with today. 

I recall a time a few years ago when a man from prison visited our church and spent the entire worship set down on his knees, hands in the air, tears streaming unselfconsciously down his lined and weathered face. You could sense the unease in the room.

Another pastor relayed to me that someone had came into a church asking to be baptised because they had came to know Jesus, and the church referred them elsewhere. They weren't what you'd call 'clean cut'. They weren't the type you took home to meet your mother. Their lack of good manners and pedigree might have been an affront to the sensibilities of those already in the church.  

I wonder what Jesus would have done? Probably went to their house and ate with them.

Sinners are chosen by Jesus.
Sinners are comfortable with Jesus.
Sinners are commissioned by Jesus.

I think it's because they know how much they need him. 

They have zero self-reliance. 

One of my favourite ministry moments hails back about four years, when during an Alpha course a young lady in her late twenties suddenly exclaimed to the group: "I found Jesus and he's f#$%ing awesome!"

I reckon Jesus could do more with that attitude than he could with a religious one. 

Jesus can work with addiction.

Jesus can work with guilt and shame.

Jesus can work with uncertainty and fear.

Jesus can work with doubts and questioning.

Jesus can work with bad manners.

Because all these are fertile soil for his grace to take root.

What Jesus can't work with, is pride.

Pride rejects grace. 

Pride denies Jesus, preferring its own efforts.

Prides says, "thanks but I've got this."

Whereas sin is native to a fallen world, pride is something we contrive to cover it up, creating a barrier to the grace of God.

Just as a potter works with soft clay; Jesus calls sinners because they’re malleable.

When Jesus defeated sin on the cross, for once and for all, the power of sin became broken over you and me. We still live with its effects, and we still slip back into old habits now and then, but it no longer has the final word. The cross does. And as our eternal life is formed within us we will turn more and more to that joy of the Spirit and sin will no longer be as attractive. We become more like Jesus so that we we can share his goodness with the world.

Jesus commissions sinners because sinners are comfortable talking with sinners.

He doesn't, after all, only bring salvation TO us, but he brings salvation THROUGH us.

God can use those who have nothing to proclaim except for "Christ crucified" in a powerful and mighty way to spread the Gospel. 

I think back to Matthew the tax collector. I wonder if he's the same one Jesus talks about in Luke 18:13: 'But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"' 

Matthew would not have been able to go back to making his living. He would have burnt all his bridges to follow Jesus. He had to be all in. 100% or nothing. He had nothing of his own to rely on, turn to, or brag about. The only thing he could've offered people was Jesus and his Gospel.

This is what we, the church, should aspire to.

The alternative is too awful to think about.  A community of people who have it all together and look down on everyone who doesn't. A community that judges people instead of welcoming them. A community that trusts in its own righteousness.

I'm sure you don't know any churches like that. 

For me, I praise God that I am a sinner saved by grace. 

I praise God that He has called me, is in the messy and probably infuriating process of conforming me to the His image of his Son, and that He commissions me to carry his heart and message to others.

That is the only thing I can brag about, and I reckon that's a good thing.

But hey, it's just my two-bob as usual.

 

"EXAMINE YOURSELVES!" What Paul Really Meant Regarding Communion.

What did Paul really mean when he wrote to the Corinthian church saying that they should 'examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgement on themselves..." 1 Cor 11:28-29? 

Well, first of all, I don’t know because I wasn’t there. So we should always proceed cautiously before making sweeping statements from a letter written to specific audience in a specific place in a specific time. 

Yet …  a quick read of the surrounding passages should alert us to the tragic extent that these verses are (usually) taken completely out of context in church.

Did Paul really mean, (as many a well-meaning yet misleading preacher has put it) that one must search their hearts for unconfessed or unrepentant sin before approaching Communion with Christ, and if not they should refrain from participating?

To you, O well-meaning preacher imploring for our self-examination, haven’t you heard the maxim that ‘one pointed finger means there are three pointing back at you? 

But if you won’t examine yourself, at least examine the passage. 

I heard a brilliant line recently: "If you take the text out of context what are you left with?" Did you work it out? If not hang in there: I'll tell ya at the end.

The heading to this passage (1 Corinthians 11:17-34) in the NIV says, "Correcting an Abuse of the Lord's Supper."

What Abuse Is To Be Corrected At The Lord's Supper?

Is it that sinners are being welcomed to the table? Well … that would put us at odds with many other key passages in the Bible. What about the prophet Isaiah who cried out, “Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!” Or the Spirit Himself who declares in one of the Bible’s great closing statements: “Come! And let the one who hears say ‘come!’Let the one who is thirsty say ‘come’; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life” (Rev 22:17).

Are we then to stop sinners partaking in Communion? Should we change Isaiah’s words to “come all you who are perfect,” and the Spirit’s to “let the one who is sinless say ‘come’?!

Without trekking around the rest of the Bible, the present passage alone tells us that this is precisely the abuse that both Paul is warning against, and that our well-meaning preacher mentioned above is perpetrating: drawing boundary lines of distinction within the people of God.

Let me explain. 

Paul is speaking into an issue in the early church which led to conflict between himself and Peter and the church in Jerusalem. The issue was to do with how to blend Jewish and non-Jewish believers together into a new family of God. Did the non-Jewish converts to the Christian faith also have to become Jewish converts? And if they didn’t were they to be considered “less Christian” in some way? Paul's answer was a resounding ‘no!’, and so when Peter began eating at a separate table from the Gentile converts to make a distinction between them, a sort of elitism crept into the church. You can read the story in Acts 15 where Paul confronts Peter about this very issue.

So when Paul says they should “examine themselves”, he's talking about whether or not they are opening up their table to everyone, or whether they are making people eat separately and thereby creating elitist circles in the church.

Paul’s advocating for radical inclusivity and lavish hospitality, not closing the table to people who are not  perfect.

Just read his conclusion: "so then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together" (1 Cor 11:33).

Is it possible then that to discern 'the body of Christ' is to discern which people comprise it? I.e Who is part of the corporate “Body of Christ” and who is not?

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul writes about those who make up the church being "his (Jesus') body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." In other words he uses the phrase 'the body of Christ' (here and elsewhere) to refer to Jesus' followers. 

In this 1 Corinthians passage he is raising (again—as in Galatians and elsewhere) the issue of the Jewish/Gentile equality in the Messiah Jesus. 

He's saying in effect, “Look, if you're still going to put divisions between Jewish and Gentile Christians, it's like you're saying Jesus died for nothing. And if you say that you are not accepting the sacrifice and Lordship of Christ and therefore are damning yourselves..."

Again, a good hermeneutical principal is to let Paul interpret Paul. In his letter to the Ephesians he says: "He himself (Jesus) is our peace, who has made us both one and broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, so making peace, and reconciling us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility" (Ephesians 2:14-16). 

Jews and Gentiles, coming together through the atoning work of Christ on the cross, creating one new redeemed humanity. Old distinctions done away with, all equal in the Lord. This is Pauline theology at its core.

So back to the question: what happens when you take the text out of context? 

That's right, you're left with a con. 

Okay, I'm sure its unintentional on the preacher's behalf, but still...

If someone uses this passage to say "examine yourself to see if you are sinning and if you are, then don't come to the table because you are unworthy..." they are saying the very opposite of what Paul intended. 

This particular passage aside, this instruction doesn't even stand up to basic Evangelical theology. 

For if Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, you are saved by grace through faith, and your sin has nothing to do with it. We all sin, saved or not! Should the one who recognises their sin withdraw from fellowship at the table? Nay! They should rather identify with the humble sinner who beats his chest and says, "God have mercy on me a sinner" (Luke 18:13-14), and of whom Jesus said, "I tell you, this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God." Who was the other man? The Pharisee who said proudly, “God I thank you that I’m not like other people…” In other words, who considered himself pretty good in the eyes of God thank-you-very-much! 

I have spoken with those who stay seated, yearning for Communion with their Risen Lord, as they should, yet withheld from His healing presence by misleading theology. Some do it for months on end, until they feel like they performed well enough that week to deserve it. One person told me through tears that has not had communion for six months, because they weren’t “pure enough”(!). 

I must admit, this ruffles my feathers. 

Also, as a church leader I would not want to be the one coming between our Lord and His precious redeemed.

This is not to say that one shouldn't examine themselves for unconfessed or unrecognised sin before approaching the table of the Lord. It's just not what this passage is about. And to that premise I simply offer a different conclusion: if you find sin (and you should) then approach the throne boldly through grace, with tears of repentance and a heart of worship for your Lord and Saviour who has redeemed you from it, and partake in fellowship with your fellow redeemed sinners with joy and humility. 

If you don’t find sin, then you, my friend should keep your bum firmly planted on your seat until you do. Jesus said: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Mark 2:17).

And for the preacher who continues to draw boundary lines within the community of the people of God —examine yourself! It’s for reasons like this that James writes: “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 1:1). 

Read these verses (1 Cor 11) again in their full severity, but this time in the context that you are one they are addressed to, church leader, not the people in the pews, and you are doing precisely the thing Paul is warning against: not correctly discerning the body of Christ. The passage threatens you with judgment and condemnation. Geez. You're welcome. 

In the meantime, let us practise lavish hospitality, and celebrate the equality of our uselessness in our own strength and ability to save ourselves, and each of us approach the communion table with a heart of joy for our Lord who has forgiven us all, and set us free to together comprise the body of Christ, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Amen and amen.

But hey, just my two-bob’s worth as usual.

What Kind Of God? A Kind Kind Of God

A quick Google search reveals the following top ten desirable character traits: honesty, optimism, courage, confidence, creativity, compassion, integrity, patience, discipline, flexibility.

Does that sound like someone you would like to be?
Does that sound like someone you would like to be with?

Of course these aren't chosen in a vacuum but are situated in our culture. These are the traits deemed necessary by the algorithm gods for success in the modern world based on a fast moving life within a zero-sum game where the winner takes all. 

The loser, well ... loses. 

What if our mission was bigger than our cultural maxim of getting rich, finding a mate, pursuing pleasure, and leaving a legacy?

What if, say, the mission was to recreate the world - a new heavens and a new earth, populate it with a regenerated new humanity (that fulfil their original mission of stewarding and ruling over it) and living with them forever? 

This is, incidentally, God's mission according to the Bible! 

What kind of God would be needed to pull that off? 

What would God's top ten traits be?

Well I don't think courage and confidence and discipline would cut it - as cool as those traits are.

I once took my children to a youth event where the preacher shared with them how wrathful and violent God is. After a gory sensory description of a Roman scourging and crucifixion he reached his final climax in a fervent frenzy: if they didn't accept Jesus they would all burn in hell. As the altar call came and a few shaky hands went up around the hall, my youngest - only seven years old at the time - turned to me and whispered, "Daddy, I don't think he knows the same God we do! We should tell him about our God!"

I had to agree with her. Not about telling him. I suspect he was quite happy with his angry god thank-you-very-much. But I did scoop my children up and high-tail it out of there pretty quickly. 

The thing is, the Bible makes no effort to hide who God is. 

John, one of Jesus' disciples simply writes: "God is love" (1 John 4:16).

Not has love, feels love, or shows love. (Although all of those are true).

God IS love.

It's who he is.

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians we read:

'But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus' (Eph 2:4-6).

Read that again. 

Because of his GREAT LOVE (for us), he is rich in mercy.
Because of his RICH MERCY, he opens his arms to all who spurn him (all of us).
Because of his GRACE (the immeasurable riches of it), he saves us.

And he doesn't stop there.

He makes us alive, truly for the first time, by filling us with his Spirit, and birthing a new creation within us: a life that surpasses natural death.

Then he raises us up, elevating us to kingly status as he draws us out of the depths of our earthly existence and places us into the heights to dwell also in the heavenly plane.

Then he seats us with him, by his side, relaxed, assured, bathing in his eternal presence.

But Paul writes on, telling us why he does all this: "so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus' (Eph 2:7).

He does this all because he is KIND.

Is it just me, or do we not hear much about the KINDNESS of God. 

For that matter, it's not something we value very highly in anybody. 

In all the character traits lists I researched earlier, kindness was not in any of them. 

My guess is that is because kindness doesn't get you very far in the world.

Kindness is considered quant at best, weak at worst.

But back to God's mission - to save and shape a people for stewarding and sharing in his new creation - apparently kindness is a crucial, paramount, and effective way to convey his grace.

Usually when I hear grace spoken about in Christian circles it's in context of God's wrath, as mentioned in my daughter's experience earlier.

But this verse situates God's grace in kindness, not wrath.

What if we started talking about God, not as angry, but as kind?

God is kind. It sounds weird, given its connotations of weakness and quaintness.

Yet according to this verse, kindness is the chosen tool God uses to convey his grace to us, so that we then show it to others (so that in the coming ages he might show...).

What if we spoke more about his kindness in regards to the cross?

 I wonder how many more of those young souls would have responded to a kind God that night out of intrigue and love (as opposed to fear), and not only responded, but enjoyed, grew with, and stayed with that God? I know many, many people who grew up with the idea of an angry god and become lost, as it inoculates them to the true, kind God later on.

What if Jesus died for you, not to check God's wrath, but to convey God's kindness. 

To save you, make you alive, to raise you up, to exalt you - so that you can show God's kindness to others?

He died because of the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward you.

So much grace you can't measure it, and it overflows in kindness.

It seems then, that God's grace is instinctive and natural to his character; it simply flows out. It is not then, a secondary response to his wrath. 

What if we described God as Paul does in Ephesians 2?

Merciful (being rich in mercy), loving (because of the great love with which he loved us), forgiving (even when we were dead in our trespasses), creative & powerful (made us alive together with Christ), a generous (by grace you have been saved), hospitable (raises us up and seats us with him), visionary (so that in the coming ages he might show), graceful (the immeasurable riches of his grace) and ... kind (in kindness toward us).

Now here's a list to aspire to:

Merciful, loving, forgiving, creative, powerful, generous, hospitable, visionary, graceful, and kind.

Here's the God my daughter was talking about. 

Here's the God I know. 

Here's the God who is love.

What kind of God? A kind kind of God. 

But hey, just my two-bob’s worth as usual.