Mark 2
THE REACH OF THE RECLINER

Jesus made a big effort to reach out to ‘sinners.’ They were the untouchables of his day – tax collectors, prostitutes, people with demons and diseases, people with problems. More often than not, they are the people even we don’t want to associate with – and for good reason. We want to feel safe, we want our children to be safe, and we don’t want the bad influences and issues of ‘sinners’ to rub off on us.

Jesus did a lot of teaching in synagogues, up on mountainsides and on the beaches, but it was not usually in these public settings that the ‘sinners’ were reached.

Levi was one of the ‘sinners.’ He was a tax collector. In order to reach Levi, this is what Jesus did: “And as he [Jesus] reclined at table in his [Levi’s] house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.” (Mark 2 v 15 ESV). Jesus reclined with them. He wasn’t standing for a quick exit, he wasn’t preaching a sermon, instead he was sharing time in a relaxed environment around a meal with them.

It goes against our nature, but isn’t this what we should be doing?

May our hearts reach out to those around us this week.

With love in our Lord,
Robert

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All quotations from the NIV unless otherwise stated.
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  Robert Prins
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