Eats with Sinners

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say. “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him and jumped into the water.

What is so remarkable about this text? Is it that Jesus appeared once again to His disciples? How about the fact that Jesus vanquished death? Or, was it the extraordinary and passionate love Simon Peter felt when he heard that his Lord was waiting for him on the shore? I attest and hold to all the answers, but Simon Peter’s desire to see his Savior once again led him to jump into the water and swim moves me.

I love it. Peter was so overwhelmed with joy that he could not wait on the turtle like speed of the boat. He swam the remaining 100 yards. To him, the wait was unbearable. To delay any longer would mean that his soul would anguish with despair. He had to go! His inner part of his soul was so deeply moved that it made him do something crazy. With clothes on, he dove into the water. Not an ounce of pride. Only some wet clothes and a cool story to write about, Peter found what he was looking for.

Jesus is waiting on the shore. He wants us to jump. If we are in sync with the melody of His heart, then we will claw our way out of the boat to see what He is going to do next. Peter, being so besieged, cannon balled himself into the water and swam to the shore just to be intimate with his Lord, Savior, Messiah, and friend. Will you jump with me?

Paid in Full

As of late, I have chewed on the realization that all people on earth contain one event is common. People have tried to conquer it. Armies have tried to run from it. And institutions have tried to overthrow it. But the event always walks away victorious, smiling mischievously. This event I write of is death. I wonder when my last breath will be and what that will entitle. I wonder when I am going to see my Creator and Savior. I wonder…but God does not.

He is not concerned with the issue of death. He does not stay up all night stressing over the question of when someone will die. So, you say, what is He concerned about? He is worried about if we will ever truly live. Matthew 22:33 states, “He is not the God of the dead but of the living” (NIV). He has conquered death, therefore we have life. Death did not even sting or wound Him. 2 Timothy 1:10 says, “but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life” (NIV).

Do people you work with, go to school with, live with, play with, or even go to church with truly live? The dash between the year we were born and died is what God is interested in. We have life through Christ Jesus. The God who gives life to the dead calls you to start living a life passionately sold out for Him. Do not grow old and ponder the question of death, rather grow old and have life.

Paid in Full

"Satan may condemn us every day, but God will never condemn us again. In fact, all our sins are forgiven. Our past sins are forgiven to free us from the penalty of sin. Our present sins are forgiven so that we are no longer in bondage to the power of sin. And our future sins are forgiven to liberate us from the presence of sin. Our past is forgiven, our present is free from condemnation, and our future is certain.

That's what makes God's grace so amazing - Jesus agreed to pay for every sin so every sinner might be ransomed. The death of the innocent, on behalf of the guilty, satisfied the wrath of the just." 1 John 2:2 states, "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."

Luke 15:1-2 cites, "Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

These passages of Scriptures show us the very heartbeat of the incarnated God. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, eating with sinners? How can this be? Jesus' marketday theology led him to a table full of the people society deemed indescribable, sick, and lost. A song writer named Andrew Peterson said this about the present day church, “Feels like the church isn’t anything more, than the second coming of the Pharisees.” Is this statement true? If followers of Christ want to become more like Christ, then they need to look at his heart. Jesus' heart was full of compassion, love, and patience. He went after the "sinners".

Tax collectors, whores, and drunks thought of Jesus as a friend. The high society and middle-class thought of him as a threat. What has happened? Today, the drunks, whores, and sinners think of him as a threat, and the high society and middle-class deem him a friend. Has the church lost the very heartbeat of God? It is time for followers of Christ to start sharing life with the drunks, whores, and sinners of this world. We might be the only Jesus they will ever see. Stop hiding behind the pew or pulpit and start in with the rhythmic beat of Jesus' heart.

This blog's purpose set out in 2006 to pave a bridge for the broken, scholarly elite, and angels with clipped wings to unite. I dream of a mosaic of people with different backgrounds, opinions, and ideas. The early Jewish Rabbis would debate and argue about what a certain text would mean. This is an outlet I use to connect to a world that encounters God everyday. Now that you know a little about the intended purpose of this blog, I invite you at the table with many sinners to embark on a journey with Jesus Christ.

Paid in Full