we need wisdom

Standout Verses - Luke 5:29-31
Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honour. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”
Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. …”

I spent a large part of yesterday renewing my child protection training, and amongst the questions that were addressed was how we can and whether we should (re)integrate sex offenders into a congregation. This question from the Pharisees came to my mind and I wondered “who are the tax collectors of today?” Who are the sinners we find hard to integrate into our society? And the obvious answer for the day came to mind. In both cases it was for very good reason that their society fears them and their often predatory natures. Yet that was where Jesus was. With tax collectors, sinners and prostitutes. But did he stay with every tax collector? Levi (Matthew) and Zacchaeus are two we know of and likely there were others, but equally there will have been some with whom he did not stay. In our world how can we know the difference?

Additional Verse of note – Luke 5:32
“ … I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

Notice that Jesus does not say he came to call sinners, but “those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” What can that teach us?

Lord, when dealing with the messiness of people’s lives and of our communities: when living in a fallen world we need your wisdom and guidance. Grant it to me, I pray.