Who Jesus Eats With

[0:00] Well, I want you to start this morning by thinking of who's the kind of person that you invite around for a meal in your home. So, you know, who cracks the nod for a dinner invitation from you?

[0:15] Think about it. You can't invite everyone to eat at your house, so what's the criteria? That you decide, this person is the person I'm going to invite for supper.

[0:27] Who is it? What kind of people do you invite for supper? Typically, we invite around for a meal to our home people that we want to get to know more. There's a reason we invite people around.

[0:38] Not just because we feel we need to feed them. It's because we want to develop a closer relationship with them. Who you choose to eat with shows who you want to come closer to.

[0:51] It's interesting. It's like that in every culture. Every culture around the world. No matter how different those cultures are from each other, there's one universal truth. And that is, if you want to get to know someone more, you eat with them.

[1:05] It's weird, but it's true. It's something about our humanity. You know, when a young man sees a lady that he wants to get to know more, what's the first thing he tends to do?

[1:16] Invite her out for dinner, to eat with. There's something special about eating with someone that helps us to grow close to them, helps us to get to know them on another level.

[1:28] It's the way we create friendships. It's the way we create companionship. In fact, that word, companion, if you didn't know, it comes from two Latin words, com and panis, which is with bread.

[1:42] And so your companion is your with bread person. It's the person who you break bread with, the eating. That's who we come close to in our lives, the people we eat with.

[1:58] Well, today, we are going to learn who Jesus wants to come close to. Because here in Matthew, this is the first time, today's passage is the first time in the New Testament we find Jesus eating with people.

[2:13] The first time Matthew mentions Jesus eating with others. And it's significant, especially in this culture. If you think eating with others is important and significant in our culture, how much more was it in the ancient Near Eastern culture?

[2:27] Eating with someone was a sign of letting them in to your life. It was a sign of close fellowship. It was very big in the culture. So it's a significant moment here that Jesus is eating with people for the first time in the New Testament.

[2:39] And it turns out that the people Jesus chooses to eat with in his first recorded meal are not the types of people we'd expect.

[2:52] And they're not the types of people we would choose to invite around. And so this passage, as we dive into it, is going to challenge how we think about Jesus, but it's also going to challenge how we think about who we are willing to let close to us in our lives.

[3:12] So let's dive in and see what we learn. This all starts with Jesus calling Matthew, the writer of this gospel, to follow him, to discipleship, in his office of all places.

[3:28] Look at verse 9. As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the toll booth, and he said to him, Follow me. And he got up, and he followed him.

[3:39] Now, Matthew, we learn from this verse, was probably one of the Israelites employed by the Romans, who were the occupiers at the time, probably in the port near Capernaum, where goods would come over the Sea of Galilee from outside.

[3:59] And this was the first place they would be charged customs and taxes. And he's busy working for the Romans there. And along comes Jesus, very unexpectedly, that Jesus would choose this place, of all places, to go and call someone to be one of his disciples.

[4:20] But to Matthew's credit, he actually responds. And he gets up from his work, he leaves it behind, and he follows Jesus. Just imagine that for a second, in your workplace, if that happened.

[4:32] Imagine you're sitting in your office. You know, your boss has given you a new assignment. Maybe you've got your spreadsheet, your laptop open in front of you. And then Jesus comes walking into your office.

[4:45] You know, the receptionist's chasing behind him. Excuse me, sir. Excuse me, you can't go there. And then he walks right up to your desk, and he says, Come, we're going. And you leave everything behind, and you go.

[5:00] Well, that's what Matthew did. That's the situation kind of Matthew was in. The last place that he'd expect Jesus to call him. But that often happens, isn't it?

[5:11] You know, Jesus comes and calls people when and where we least expect it, like we saw earlier. Yeah. So Matthew, he realizes something about this man.

[5:22] Had he heard about him? Probably. Had he heard him, even? Maybe he was one of the people in the crowds, sitting, listening on the fringe in the Sermon on the Mount. Just a few chapters before. But whatever it is, Matthew, in that moment, when Jesus calls him, he realizes this man is worth leaving everything behind to follow.

[5:40] And so he leaves his laptop, he leaves his steady income, he leaves his pension fund, and his perks, and his company car. He leaves that all behind, and he follows Jesus.

[5:53] Because, I mean, that's what following Jesus is, isn't it? Truly, that's what a true Christian is. It's someone who realizes that Jesus is more important than anything else.

[6:03] That's what makes a follower of Jesus different to someone who's just interested in Jesus, or interested in Christian things. A follower of Jesus is someone who's come to that point of realizing, this man is worth more than anything else in my life.

[6:21] And following him and listening to him takes priority above everything else. That's what a follower is. That's what a disciple is. And so Matthew does, and he follows him.

[6:31] And the fact that Matthew takes this so seriously, following this man, explains the next verse. Verse 10. While he was reclining with Jesus at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners, where did they come from?

[6:48] Many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. So we learn from that verse, Matthew obviously didn't stay quiet, did he? He brought all his colleagues along.

[7:00] This man that he's left everything for, because of what a big turnaround that is, because of how seriously he's taking him, he can't keep quiet about him.

[7:11] He can't keep him a secret. That's another sign of a true disciple, is that Jesus has made enough of an impact in their life that they can't keep quiet about him. Even if they wanted to, but they don't want to anyway.

[7:24] And so here we go, that's why we have this meal, this first meal in Matthew, with Matthew's associates from his workplace.

[7:38] Now there's a problem though. The problem is that these people who Matthew brought along to the meal are not the most reputable people. You see, what we need to understand is tax collectors in the Bible, whenever you, well almost all the time you read tax collectors, they're grouped with sinners.

[7:56] It's tax collectors and sinners. Because tax collectors were seen as bad people in Israelite society. They were considered as traitors who had joined the enemy, the Roman occupiers, and were now working for them, colluding with them against their own people.

[8:14] And so tax collectors were considered traitors. But more than that, actually, tax collectors were considered religiously unclean. Because of their contact with the Gentiles that they had to have in their business dealings.

[8:27] And so much so that rabbis taught their followers not to eat with tax collectors. Even if they were Israelites, you weren't to entertain them in your home. You weren't to eat with them. Because they might contaminate you.

[8:37] These are not the types of people that you want your children to be exposed to. They can contaminate your holy house. And so don't let them in. That's how badly tax collectors were considered in those days.

[8:51] And it explains why they're grouped with sinners here. Tax collectors and sinners. We do need to pause and just ask ourselves, what does Matthew mean when he writes sinners here?

[9:03] What did it mean to call someone a sinner in ancient Israel? Because the thing is, they all knew that they were sinners by nature, just like we do. Israelites were familiar with that.

[9:14] Even the most respectable religious leader would know that they're a sinner by nature. And that's why they needed atonement and the sacrifices and the Day of Atonement. And so it was more than just saying that people were, by nature, sinners.

[9:28] To call someone a sinner as opposed to everyone else was to say that this person had really messed up. This person was kind of beyond repair. They had left ordinary life and they were out there with the people who had messed up and who didn't care about God's law.

[9:46] They weren't decent people. They were not the people that you want in your home. They were not the people that you want to be influencing your children.

[10:00] You know, so what would it be today? It would be the drug addict, the death metal singer, the prostitute, the gangster. You know, these are not the people you want coming around for a meal, are they?

[10:15] In Plumstead, you know, Plumstead gangsters who hang down there on Victoria Road, wherever. Outside, you know, they're all over the place, actually. But the ones in Cape Flats or the prostitutes.

[10:31] You know, you don't invite them around for a meal. You don't want them in your home. You don't want your kids exposed to that. That's the type of people who are here at this meal with Jesus. But what's interesting is that that's exactly the type of people Jesus is happy to call his companions.

[10:52] That's exactly the type of people Jesus is happy to break bread with. Even when later he was challenged on it, he said, no, I want them here. These are the people I want to eat with. What does that tell you about Jesus?

[11:06] What does that tell you about Jesus? Well, it tells you that he doesn't care how much you've messed up in your life. He still wants to know you.

[11:20] It doesn't matter how indecent you are, how many skeletons you've got in the closet, how much you've messed up. Jesus still wants you to come close to him.

[11:34] That's what it tells you about him. Now, think about that. Jesus wants sinners, broken people, who have messed up, to still come close to him.

[11:47] Let me tell you, that is worth remembering when you've messed up. When you've messed up and you're feeling unworthy of coming close to Jesus, you're feeling just that you've gone too far, the sin that you've done, and it's keeping you away from him.

[12:04] And I know you've felt that, because I've felt that too, when you've committed a sin and you just know, okay, this is, you know, it pushes you away from God. But this is, that's when you've got to remember this, that Jesus, especially then, when you're at your most broken, that's when he wants you to come close.

[12:20] He still wants to eat with you. He still wants to know you. That's who we're dealing with here. And this is the manifestation of God on earth. This is God in the flesh. And that tells you about God, doesn't it?

[12:31] Despite him being holy, he still wants you to come close to him, no matter who you are. Are you feeling unworthy this morning?

[12:43] Are you feeling maybe you don't fit in church? Maybe you're feeling uncomfortable here? Well, Jesus doesn't care. Jesus doesn't care whether you're feeling worthy or not.

[12:54] These people he was eating with, they weren't worthy to eat with him, to share intimate fellowship with him. They were not worthy at all, and yet he's happy to do it. He wanted them near him.

[13:07] And he wants you near him. No matter how much of a sinner you are. And no matter who you are, whether you're gay, whether you're straight, whether you're trans, whether you're addicted to pornography, whether you're addicted to drugs, none of that stops Jesus from wanting you to come close to him.

[13:29] No matter who you are, no matter what you've done. None of that is going to stop Jesus from wanting you to share fellowship with him and come close to him.

[13:40] To put it another way, Jesus is far more inclusive than we think he is. In fact, he's far more inclusive than the church often makes him out to be.

[13:56] Because here's the thing. Religious people, people who are trying to live the right way, trying to do the right thing, don't like inclusion.

[14:08] They don't like this idea of being inclusive to all. Because it's dangerous. It's inclusion is dangerous, spiritually dangerous.

[14:21] And that is exactly what we see next in the story. Because it turns out there's a problem with inclusion. There's a problem with Jesus being so radically inclusive.

[14:32] And maybe if you've been a Christian for a while, and I'm talking about inclusion of all types, maybe you're even feeling uncomfortable. Well, it didn't take long for the religious people in this situation to have a problem with all these sinners around.

[14:49] Look at verse 11. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? And to be fair to the Pharisees, it's a good question.

[15:06] If you understood just how bad these people were, it is a very shocking thing that they're seeing. And it's an invalid question that the Pharisees are asking.

[15:16] You know, the thing about the Pharisees, you see Pharisees in the Bible. You see the word Pharisee in the New Testament. And if you've been around for any length of time as a Christian or in churches, you'll know that they're the bad guys.

[15:27] You know? That's typically what you think. You see the word Pharisee, you think bad guy. But you shouldn't. All the time. We actually give them a bad rap. It's a mistake to caricature the Pharisees always as these nasty villains who are corrupt and all about power.

[15:46] And they're all out there to spoil the disciples' fun. It's a bad caricature of Pharisees. Because the truth is, a lot of them were genuinely trying to do the right thing. A lot of them were genuinely what we would call good people, decent people.

[16:00] I mean, think of Nicodemus in the Gospel of John. He was a good Pharisee. He was trying to do the right thing. And the Pharisees were the moral protectors of society.

[16:12] They were the ones who stood and made sure that bad stuff doesn't come and influence society, that family values are maintained, that the values are upheld in society.

[16:23] They were the moral protectors. They upheld what is good in society. They would have been the first people picketing outside Wilworth's in Pride Month. The Pharisees.

[16:34] That's what they were there for. And that's why they're uncomfortable here. Because you can't just accept sin. You can't just let it in like it's okay.

[16:46] So they had a valid question. Their discomfort, in fact, their discomfort that they're feeling in this dinner would be the same as our discomfort as Christians if promiscuous gay and trans people started coming here into St. Mark's just being part of us and saying, well, you've got to be more open and inclusive.

[17:09] That's what it's like today. We would have a problem with that because we don't want our children exposed to lifestyles that are contrary to God's will and contrary to Scripture, which those are.

[17:24] Immediately we think, keep them away. They'll contaminate us. They'll contaminate our Christianity. They'll contaminate our families if we let just anyone from, you know, fallen, broken society in.

[17:40] And so we keep them away. We try to protect ourselves from those types of people out there in the world. The gays, the trans people, the people that we know the Bible says that their lifestyle is contrary to Scripture.

[18:01] And so we try to distance ourselves from that. Interesting, though, ironically, we seem fine with heterosexual people who are in as much sexual sin coming and being part of us.

[18:13] We don't seem to have a problem with that, you know, because that's kind of more decent. It's more of a respectable sin than, you know, a trans cross-dresser coming and being with us.

[18:25] You know what that means? Because we've got this threshold of decency, don't we? Every one of us, we've got this threshold of decency that a person has to be decent according to our standards before we let them into our lives and into our space.

[18:42] It's different for each person. You might be more open than the next person, but you've still got a threshold of decency. There's still certain people who won't make it in to your circle.

[18:54] And so the truth is, we're not that different to the Pharisees in this story. Because people who are doing their best to live right, and if you're in church this morning, that's probably you.

[19:11] You're here because you want to live right. You want to learn what is true. You want to do your best to live God's way. But those kind of people who do their best to live right tend not to be inclusive, but to be exclusive.

[19:33] And to stick with, in our holy huddles, with people who we share the same values with, and we believe the same things, and we live the same lifestyles, those are the people we're drawn to, and by nature, we're exclusive of people who aren't like that.

[19:51] By nature, we've got to realize this about being Christians, and let's be honest about it. We are instinctively exclusive, not inclusive. Inclusion, when we hear the world saying, you've got to be inclusive, you've got to be tolerant, we don't like that, do we?

[20:07] We push against that and say, no, we mustn't be inclusive, like the world is telling us to be, and we become exclusive, and we stick in our holy huddles.

[20:18] But it turns out from this story, that exclusive Christianity, where you exclude people who don't meet your decency threshold, is the complete opposite to what true Christianity is meant to be.

[20:34] That's what Jesus is trying to tell us here, in this story. And it's what He shows us, in how He responds, in the next few very key verses, for us to understand, from verse 12.

[20:46] Let's have a look. Now when He heard this, when He heard these Pharisees talking, He said, it is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick.

[21:00] Go and learn what this means. I desire mercy and not sacrifice, for I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners. So what Jesus is saying here, He's saying I have to be inclusive, otherwise I can't do what I've come here to do.

[21:21] He has to be inclusive, because He can't save sinners, if He doesn't let them come close to Him. That's what He's saying here. And He uses the illustration of a doctor, and it's a good illustration.

[21:34] Have you ever noticed, how many sick people are in a doctor's office? I mean, it's a very risky thing, to go to the doctor, these days. Last time I went to the doctor, I was like, there's people coughing, and I was just, I was feeling much more, uncomfortable going to the doctor, than when I was at home.

[21:52] But of course, I needed to go, because the doctor's the guy, who can help me, to get better. And then I was thinking, when I was sitting there, in the waiting room, with all these sick people around me, I was thinking, imagine how much, the doctor, how risky this is for the doctor.

[22:11] Seeing all these sick people, every day, hour after hour after hour, he's just seeing sick people. The doctor sees, far more sick people, than healthy people, in his career.

[22:22] And I was thinking, that's quite a lot of exposure, the doctors, there's a lot of viruses, going around. Doctors are quite brave, to see all those sick people, day in and day out.

[22:34] But they have to, don't they? Because that's their job. They can't do their job, unless they expose themselves, to sick people. That's how it is, unless they come close, to sick people.

[22:46] A doctor can't do their job. Well Jesus is saying the same, about himself. He says, he can't save people, unless he comes close to them, unless he lets them in.

[22:59] But by extension, neither can we, as a church. You see, we can't, save people, we can't, bring the gospel to people, from a holy huddle.

[23:13] If we just stick with people, that are decent, and that meet our criteria. If we only ever, let people in, who meet our threshold, we can never actually, do our job as a church.

[23:24] That's, that's what, what we're learning here. And that is actually, why Jesus quotes, from the Old Testament, one of the prophets, Hosea, we read it earlier. And, I encourage you, if you can find Hosea quickly, to, to turn there, to Hosea 6.

[23:41] And, to see the, the passage, Jesus quotes from, I'll read it, I mean, verse 13 in Matthew, he says, but while you're turning to Hosea, he says, go and learn, what this means. So, he's telling the Pharisees, you guys don't actually know, your own scriptures.

[23:54] To ask this question, why do I eat with sinners? You don't even know, what the Old Testament says. And then he quotes this, from Hosea. I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. But I want to read, from where, from the source, Hosea 6, in its context, from verse 4 to 6.

[24:10] Let's see what's going on here. Remember, Hosea lived, hundreds and hundreds, of years, before Jesus came. And he was a prophet, which meant he was one of the, the people, through whom God, had a message to give to Israel.

[24:25] And that message, that he was inspired to, to say, was recorded, and written down, for us to read today. So these are God's words, through the prophet Hosea.

[24:35] And he says this, Hosea 6, from verse 4. What am I going to do with you, Ephraim? He's talking to the tribes of Israel. What am I going to do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, and like the early dew, that vanishes.

[24:53] This is why, I have used the prophets, to cut them down. I have killed them, with the words of my mouth. My judgment, strikes like lightning, for I desire, faithful love, and not sacrifice.

[25:04] The knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings. You see, so, in Hosea's time, we learn, especially when we read, the rest of the prophet, that Israel had fallen, a long way, from what they were meant to be.

[25:21] But the thing about them, is that despite their, their lack of love, and their lack of mercy, and their sin, in their communities, they were still, very religious people. Because you can be both, by the way.

[25:32] You can be very religious, and actually have fallen, a long way from God, at the same time. That's the situation, they were in. They were still, very religious. And God here, through Hosea, is saying to them, I'm not interested, in your religion.

[25:46] I'm not interested, in your sacrifices, your burnt offerings, all your religious traditions. What I really want, what I've always wanted, is love. Is for you to love.

[25:57] Mercy, it's translated. But in the Old Testament, in Hosea 6, the word, actually, what God wants, from His people, you've come across it before, chesed.

[26:08] It's, that's the Hebrew, it's faithful love, it's committed love, to someone, who doesn't deserve it. That's the kind of thing, God wants from His people. The same love, that He gives to them, He wants them to show.

[26:21] It's interesting, because normally, that word chesed, is used, to describe God's, mercy and grace, and love for His people. But here, it's used to describe, the love He wants, His people to show others.

[26:32] It's a very interesting, place to find, that word. God wants, this, chesed, this, this kind of love, that is shown to people, who have done nothing, to deserve it.

[26:47] And He's saying, that's what I want from you, Israel, because that's why I saved you. That's why I called you, out of Egypt, all those centuries ago, so that you can be, that type of person, in the world. Well, He would say the same, to us today.

[27:03] He would say, the same to you and me. I don't just want, your worship, on Sunday. I don't just want, your tithes, and you serving, on the serving roster. I want you to love, those outside, your decency threshold.

[27:18] I want you to show, the grace, that you sing about, in your songs. I want you to actually, show that to people, who don't deserve it, because that's the whole, point of grace. It's not deserved.

[27:30] I want you to show, the love, that you sing about, in your songs, by including, those people, who don't deserve it, in your life. That's why I saved, you. Because, God would say, I want them close to me.

[27:44] Those people out there, who are not in church, those are the people, I want close to me. That is what, the gospel is about. It's about, the people out there, who don't deserve it.

[27:58] That's the whole thing, about the gospel. The gospel, of Jesus, what he came to do, in its very nature, is inclusive, not exclusive. It's about, including people, not excluding them.

[28:10] We needed, God to include us, when we didn't deserve it, right? I mean, that's a, if, if you're a Christian, that's what you believe.

[28:21] That we were included, by God, when we didn't deserve it. Now God is saying, that's what I now, want you to do, for other people, who don't deserve it. Include them, don't exclude them. That's what we're, being challenged to here.

[28:37] Other people, just as we needed, God to include us, just as you needed, God, to include you, someone out there, needs you to include them, if they're going to be saved.

[28:51] Yes, they've got problems. Yes, it's going to be uncomfortable. Yes, they're sick. Yes, we don't like their lifestyle. Yes, we don't like their sin.

[29:02] But think about this, we are the only way, they can get healed. We are the only way, they can get healed. The only way, those people who are sick out there, can get healed, is if a Christian, opens up, and lets them come close.

[29:14] And brings them, to know Jesus. We are the only, that's the only place, they can get healed. Yeah, you and me, with Christians. Because we have the only thing, that can heal them.

[29:29] The gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ, that the whole Bible is about, and actually, hundreds of years, before Jesus came, the prophets already, had hints, of it.

[29:43] In fact, did you spot it, in Hosea 6? Did you spot the gospel, when Tammy was reading, for us earlier? Let me read again, from a few verses, before.

[29:54] In Hosea 6, verse 1 to 2, let's see if we can, spot the gospel. Come let us return, to the Lord, for He has torn us, and He will heal us.

[30:05] He has wounded us, and He will bind up, our wounds. He will revive us, after two days, and on the third day, He will raise us up, so we can live, in His presence.

[30:17] On the third day, He will raise us up. You see, Hosea was talking about Jesus, hundreds of years, before He came. Isn't that amazing? This, Hosea's prophecy here, on the third day, He will raise us up, was fulfilled, on the third day, after Jesus died, and He rose, from the dead.

[30:39] And, but Hosea is saying, He will raise us up, and yet, He raised Jesus up, because Jesus was being raised, on behalf of us, because He died, on behalf of us. That's what He came for, that's what He, went to the cross for, to die for your sins, for my sins, and to be raised, so that we can be raised, so that we can be justified.

[30:58] This, prophecy in Hosea, was fulfilled in Jesus, when He took our place, He took the place, of the unclean, He took the place, of the broken, He died and rose, on behalf of the broken, to heal them, on behalf of the sick, to make them whole again.

[31:13] And because of that, amazing substitution, that happened there, and that is what Jesus came for, to substitute Himself for us, in God's courtroom, to take our punishment, and then rise again, to give us new life, new hope after death, because of that substitution, and only because of that, which you find in no other religion, anywhere, except here in Jesus, because of that substitution, anybody, can now come close to Him.

[31:39] anybody, can come close, and as Hosea says, so that we can live, in His presence. Anybody, can come, close, and live in God's presence, if they come through Jesus Christ, that is why He came.

[31:55] That is the very reason, He came, for sinners, for the people, who couldn't come close, to now come close, for the worst of sinners. That is why, He left the throne room of heaven.

[32:07] It is why He came down to earth, for the worst of sinners. For you, no matter how much, you have broken, your life, no matter how much, you have messed up, no matter how sick, you are, Jesus came, so that you can come close.

[32:28] But once you do, once you do come close, you need to also realize, what that entails. Just like Matthew, needed to realize, that when Jesus called Him, what does it mean?

[32:38] It means leaving, your old life behind. Just like it was for Matthew. It means a complete change, a complete turnaround, to follow Jesus, away from the old things, away from your old life.

[32:49] And that, by the way, is the difference, between society's definition, of inclusion, and the Bible's definition, of inclusion. And it's an important difference.

[33:02] Society, when they talk about inclusion, inclusion, they mean, you've got to embrace the sickness, and not call it sickness. But Christian inclusion, is to embrace the sick, so that they can be healed.

[33:19] You see the difference? But we're still to be inclusive. That's the thing. When you hear about inclusion, don't think Christians are to be, not inclusive.

[33:30] We are actually to be, radically inclusive, in a way the world, hasn't seen. But not the way the world, defines it. To embrace the sickness, but to embrace the sick person, to let them in, so that they can be healed, through the gospel.

[33:43] And so, will we do that? As a church, will we, be known, in Plumstead, as the church, anybody is welcome at, no matter who they are, no matter what they've done.

[33:58] Because that is who Jesus came for. And so that's who we're here for. We're here for them. We're here for those broken people. We're here for those sick people.

[34:09] In fact, the more someone is messed up, the more they should feel welcome here, at St. Mark's. So welcome team, look out for those people. And to push aside the decent Christian, they're here already.

[34:22] Embrace the person, who is hesitant, and who doesn't feel like, they belong here. That's the person we're here for. Do they feel welcome, when they come here?

[34:33] Well that all depends on, on where we think we are, in this dinner scene, in Matthew. Where are we? Where are you, in this scene? Are you at the table, with sinners, laughing, eating, getting to know, or, are you off to the side, in your holy huddle, feeling, like a good Christian, because you're keeping your distance, from the sinners?

[35:02] Well let me tell you, you want to be at the table. You don't want to be off to the side, you want to be at the table, with the sinners, because oddly enough, the closer you are to the sinners, the closer you are to Jesus, because that's where he is.

[35:15] Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for this challenge, that you've given us, in your word, this radical, inclusion, of the worst of sinners, that you showed, you showed you are a God, who wants sinners, to come close to you, and we thank you for that, because we are those sinners, Lord.

[35:40] And we praise you, and thank you for including us, but help us to remember, that there are people out there, who need us to include them, so that they can discover, the same saving gospel, and be healed.

[35:52] Help us to do that, Lord. Help us to look out, for opportunities, to include those, who nobody else includes, to show them, that they are the type of people, that you came for.

[36:04] And Lord, through us, and us loving, with that love, that you loved us, help us to love, in such a way, that many more people, this season, this term, will come, to St. Mark's, come to us, and hear the gospel, of Christ, and his grace, and be saved through it, we pray, in Jesus name.

[36:25] Amen.