Connection with Each Other
Connection is something we all crave. We want to be loved and seen. If you are fortunate enough to have one or two close friends, it can still be difficult to find time together in the busyness of life. I wonder if we were to ask Jesus His thoughts on this what He would say.
Jesus spent his life loving people. He got into their lives, asked questions, actively listened, and ate with them regularly. Today, who you grab lunch with says a lot. I don’t usually go out for a meal with someone who is just an acquaintance. Eating together means there is a valuable level of connection. Considering how often we read about Jesus eating with others in the gospels, I wonder if we have more to learn about how intentional He was with people.
"Jesus and his disciples were at home having supper with a collection of disreputable guests. Unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become followers. The religion scholars and Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company and lit into his disciples: “What kind of example is this, acting cozy with the misfits?” Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick?" Mark 2:15-17
In the story above, Matthew was a tax collector, and this happened to be his home Jesus was eating. Earlier that day, Jesus had asked Matthew to “follow him” (Mark 2:14). The first thing Jesus did to show Matthew how to be a disciple was not to memorize scripture or go to church. Matthew’s first teaching moment happened at his home, sitting around a table of “sinners”!
Jesus broke bread with friends that were not like him. He accepted them as they were. And, when “church leaders” came to criticize Him, Jesus reminded them of the heart of his mission. He isn’t here to comfort the comfortable. He came for the lost, the hurting, those without hope. He came for those who needed a savior.
If we did a quick assessment about how many meals we spend with those unlike us, what would we find? I think Jesus is calling us as he did Matthew, to sit with the unchurched. Love the unlovable. Get to know the outcasts and those that others may look down on.
Who do you know that needs the love of Jesus? How can you be intentional this week in spending time, asking questions and genuinely getting to know them? If we are willing to take a step towards those God has placed in our lives, I believe we will begin to see Jesus changing lives through us. God wants to use you right where you are, and you can start today!
By Pastor Cari Stewart