"For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” Luke 7:33-35
There is a communication principle that says, "The more predictable you become the less impact you will have."
One of the reasons Jesus had such a profound impact during His brief earthly ministry was He was anything but predictable. His unpredictable ways allowed Him to reach many people and it also got Him considerable criticism. It also got Him considerable converts!
What was it that brought down such vehement criticism and condemnation upon the Son of God? It was the fact He ate with sinners. Yes, you heard it right, he shared meals with reprobates such as tax-collectors and an occasional prostitute.
That was unheard of for a rabbi. Not only was it unheard of it was intolerable in the opinion of the religious elite of His day! It is precisely why they had become so ineffective and irrelevant in reaching or relating to their culture.
Jesus came to change that! They would have been wise to have copied Him rather than to condemn Him.
So, Brad, are you saying it's good to hang out at bars and night clubs with my friends who drink?
Only if you are prompted clearly by the leadership of the Holy Spirit and only if you are sufficiently spiritually established in your faith to maintain your witness.
But it you want to reach people far from God you have two choices, you can hope they will come to where you hangout OR you can go to where they hang out. Jesus made the surprising decision to hang out with them.
For the sake of contrast it is significant to note that when Jesus wanted to connect with His disciples He also ate and drank with them!
What was the common denominator between eating with sinners and eating with followers? EATING! He understood the powerful bonds that are formed when people eat together.
Family bonds are the closest bonds and families eat together to strengthen those bonds!
Friendship bonds are also very close bonds and friends often eat together to deepen those bonds!
Fellowship bonds are strong within a church and church members often eat together around the dinner table as well as the Communion Table!
Unless you think about it, eating with sinners may seem like a surprising thing to do. But if you understand the power of the table and the power of relationships it shouldn't surprise you that combing the two is and effective way to reach people!
Just another thing to learn from Jesus!
But it you want to reach people far from God you have two choices, you can hope they will come to where you hangout OR you can go to where they hang out. Jesus made the surprising decision to hang out with them.
For the sake of contrast it is significant to note that when Jesus wanted to connect with His disciples He also ate and drank with them!
What was the common denominator between eating with sinners and eating with followers? EATING! He understood the powerful bonds that are formed when people eat together.
Family bonds are the closest bonds and families eat together to strengthen those bonds!
Friendship bonds are also very close bonds and friends often eat together to deepen those bonds!
Fellowship bonds are strong within a church and church members often eat together around the dinner table as well as the Communion Table!
Unless you think about it, eating with sinners may seem like a surprising thing to do. But if you understand the power of the table and the power of relationships it shouldn't surprise you that combing the two is and effective way to reach people!
Just another thing to learn from Jesus!
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