calling in the sick

13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. 15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the “sinners” and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” 17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

-- Mark 2:13-17

i think the most difficult part about being Christian is acknowledging that we don't deserve all this. we don't deserve anything that God gives us. we are all tiny specks in the world, and God still calls us His children. so that in turn makes us all proud and arrogant, and thinks we automatically gain the right to call non-believers, "sinners". well guess what. i'm a sinner too. you're a sinner, and all christians are sinners. a sin is a sin..there is no hierarchy of good/bad sins.. God sees a sin and sees it for what it is, a sin.

but why do we think we have the power to block others from getting to Christ? do you see healthy people walking into a hospital? Noo.. but why do we? God has already granted us salvation. He fished us out of sin, and told us to do the same to others.

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." - Mark 1:17

we are fishers. when you think fishermen, you think smelly old men who carry large fishnets with them and sail out into the sea in hopes of catching a large amount of fish! in that same way, we are to fish others out of this sinful world. so many people are swimming around in sin, and we, who have already been saved, should do the same. so then why are we just standing on the dock, watching our friends and those who we know/love drown????

in the same way, we shouldn't be creating this bubble around ourselves. that bubble needs to be POPPED. it's not exactly their fault they don't want to come to church.. we just look intimidating and hypocritical to them.

i already talked about this during prayer meeting..
so i leave you with this.

picture all the aid that's being given to Haiti. how do you think you'd feel if you saw people like us jump in front of that line, and take all that's being donated? there are thousands and thousands of victims who have nothing, standing in line for a meal. and then you see a person who's well off cut that line and take all that food?

we are greedy greedy greedy sinners who like to call themselves Christians. God calls for the sick, not the healthy. it's time we do the same too.