not the righteous

Mark 2:15-17 - "And it happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were man of them, and they were following Him. When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, "Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?" And hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

When you move to a new place to start working at a church, I guess its pretty natural that you start spending a lot of your time with people from the church. I feel really blessed to be associated with such a great community that is a huge influence in this city for pointing people to Jesus, but I was really cut to the heart by Jesus' words in my reading today.

Just like during my time at MCC, I'm constantly surrounded by believers. I think it can be addicting to be around believers all the time because it helps encourage and reaffirm us in what we believe and what we already know. But when was the last time I was the only believer in the room? When was the last time I willingly put myself in a situation where I had to stand firm in what I believe in and share Jesus with others?

After reading this passage, I had to think about what "tax collectors and sinners" I had in my life right now...and I couldn't. This breaks my heart.

I want to challenge myself to find people who need Jesus. And the old words of a good friend remind me, that I need to be in prayer for a spirit of boldness and not just praying for these kind of opportunities to arise.

And if you happen to come across this, ask yourself the same question. Who are the tax collecors and sinners in your life, and what are you doing to point them to Christ?

"I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."