our normal

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."


I've talked previously in this blog about the fact that "notorious sinners" showed up at this feast Levi put on.

And I've asked the question about whether "notorious sinners" like to hang out with us.

And whether we like to hang out with "notorious sinners", or are we more concerned about what our friends might think about that.


I noticed something this morning, though...

It says, "there were many people of this kind (notorious sinners) among Jesus' followers."

iow, not only did they show up at Levi's feast, but some of these characters were among the crowd of folks who traveled along with Him.

Back then, there was a tradition of wander teachers or rabbi's, & people would travel with these rabbi's.

I guess they were like groupies?

Anyway, some of these notorious sinner groupies were also camp followers of Jesus.

This took some guts, because the people who were not "notorious sinners" would have treated these sinner pretty badly.

     (sound like today, huh?)


But Jesus seems okay with these sinners to be there because they continued to be there.


Here's the question...


In our day to day life, as we move about, are we the kind of person people want to be around, especially people who we think of as pretty spectacular sinners?

Is there a quality of our spirit & outlook on life that draws people to hang around us - maybe not up close & personal, but at least hang around us?


Because if we believe we are "in Jesus & He is in us" then shouldn't that scenario of even really sinful people hang around us be our normal?