scum

Mark 2 

13 Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him. 

14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. 

“Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 

So Levi got up and followed him.

15 Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) 16 But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”

17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

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13 Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him.

15 Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) 16 But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees[a] saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?[b]”

17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

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Clearly, Jesus liked hanging out with "disreputable sinners" - & they clearly liked hanging out with Him.

As followers of Jesus, wouldn't it follow that we should be the same way, having the same results as Jesus?

one mind?

1 Peter 3 

8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. 

Sympathize with each other. 

Love each other as brothers and sisters. 

Be tenderhearted, 

and keep a humble attitude. 

9 Don’t repay evil for evil. 

Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. 

Instead, pay them back with a blessing. 

That is what God has called you to do, 

and he will grant you his blessing. 

10 For the Scriptures say,

“If you want to enjoy life
    and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
    and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
    Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
    and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
    against those who do evil.”

34

 

Psalm 34

(A psalm of David, regarding the time he pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech, who sent him away.)

1 I will praise the Lord at all times.
    I will constantly speak his praises.
2 I will boast only in the Lord;
    let all who are helpless take heart.
3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
    let us exalt his name together.

4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
    He freed me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
    no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
6 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
    he saved me from all my troubles.
7 For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
    he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
9 Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
    for those who fear him will have all they need.
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
    but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

11 Come, my children, and listen to me,
    and I will teach you to fear the Lord.
12 Does anyone want to live a life
    that is long and prosperous?
13 Then keep your tongue from speaking evil
    and your lips from telling lies!
14 Turn away from evil and do good.
    Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

15 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right;
    his ears are open to their cries for help.
16 But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil;
    he will erase their memory from the earth.
17 The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.
    He rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
    he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

19 The righteous person faces many troubles,
    but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.
20 For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;
    not one of them is broken!

21 Calamity will surely destroy the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.
    No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

the least

Matthew 25 

31 “But when the Son of Man[a] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations[b] will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,[c] you were doing it to me!’

41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.[d] 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

you rich people

James 5 

1 Look here, you rich people: 

Weep and groan with anguish 

because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. 

2 Your wealth is rotting away, 

and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. 

3 Your gold and silver are corroded. 

The very wealth you were counting on 

will eat away your flesh like fire. 

This corroded treasure you have hoarded 

will testify against you on the day of judgment. 

4 For listen! 

Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. 

The cries of those who harvest your fields 

have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

5 You have spent your years on earth in luxury, 

satisfying your every desire. 

You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. 

6 You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you.

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Hmmmm... should we send these verses to some of our favorite billionaires?

word

James 4 

7 So humble yourselves before God. 

Resist the devil, 

and he will flee from you. 

8 Come close to God, 

and God will come close to you. 

Wash your hands, you sinners; 

purify your hearts, 

for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 

9 Let there be tears for what you have done. 

Let there be sorrow and deep grief. 

Let there be sadness instead of laughter, 

and gloom instead of joy. 

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, 

and he will lift you up in honor.

11 Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. 

If you criticize and judge each other, 

then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. 

But your job is to obey the law, 

not to judge whether it applies to you. 

12 God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. 

He alone has the power to save 

or to destroy. 

So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?

13 Look here, you who say, 

“Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. 

We will do business there and make a profit.” 

14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? 

Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 

15 What you ought to say is, 

“If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 

16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, 

and all such boasting is evil.

17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

LGLO

Matthew 22 

34 But when the Pharisees heard that (Jesus) had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, 

they met together to question him again. 

35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 

36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

37 Jesus replied, 

“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, 

all your soul, 

and all your mind.’ 

38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 

39 A second is equally important: 

‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

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If we boil down what Jesus said, it sums up to this:

Love God, love others.

LGLO