Jesus questioned about eating 03-21-2021

Nice enough guy, but I never really knew him in Jesus Day text collectors. They were despised. They worked for the Roman government that occupy Nana me and they squeeze money out of the community and out of and out of The Travelers that went through and Caravans and stuff and they made themselves Rich by overcharging. In fact, they didn't have a salary at all. They were just expected your this is how much tax you need to bring in and get out of the people is yours to keep that's the kind of had incentive to squeeze people extra hard. and you can understand how people didn't just

How the Jewish people didn't like those tax collectors and an even today?

A lot of us are not too sure about being friends with tax collectors. There was a guy down at OSU when I work there. He wasn't a tax collector. He was the one of the people that issued parking tickets and there was also some rather entitled football players that figured they could park anywhere on campus until there was always this thing of the guy riding up tickets and one night. The the parking guy citation guy was having dinner with his wife in the next town over in Albany and he thought it was rather obnoxious made a scene it and she made the

Parking enforcement guy he no want to make his his next dinner in Salem OR Eugene or something is is a pain. We don't care if my mom wants told me when I was out of work and looking for work and told her places. I was applying she said if you go to work for the IRS, I'll disown you. She kind of threatened a lot to disown me or my sisters and she did this on my sister mini of time actually.

well in Mark's gospel. Is we take out Mark's gospel again this morning? Jesus calls Levi also known as Matthew and here's how it starts in Mark chapter 2 verse 13. Once again, Jesus went outside without beside the lake a large crowd came to him and he began to teach them as he was walking along when he saw Levi son of alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's Booth Follow Me. Jesus told him and leave. I got up and followed him. So Jesus Alvarez tax collector this despised man in his Booth collecting taxes. And he said he just says to him follow me. How do you think the rest of the disciples there weren't too many yet. But how do you think they felt about this? This guy Levi and his texting friends that taxing them and everybody else in the community and getting rich for years and taxing the Traders going through and Jesus just invites Levi end of the group to follow him and Gigi. Jesus didn't bother to ask the rest of the disciples. Hey, I was thinking of having a tax collector join us. Shall I do that? He didn't discuss anything. He didn't take

he just invited the guy in it was likely an adjustment for those early disciples to accept this enemy into their group. Who and who is it that you and I would find hard to fellowship with, you know, the easiest thing to think of today is if somebody has a x it is awful hard for exes to attend the same church, especially when that ex is hooked up with somebody else now and stuff and that's part of the reason people go to so many different churches is that were uncomfortable. We don't there are certain people. We'd rather not worship with

and

Who else would be hard for you to worship will certainly someone very different from you my grandparents. Of course. We're White and the communities they lived in as far as I could tell was was basically wife but one Sunday and African-American family had moved to Scott Valley and showed up in Grandma's church, and she came home kind of human food. Can they find a church with their own kind of people she was not happy and I was shocked. I'd never heard give me the right at all Prejudice, but grandma wow. What about you? Who would you need God's grace to accept in the in the fellowship of local church?

How willing are you to be stressed by Jesus need to put up with? An enemy in church. Are you quick to follow Jesus wherever he leads you I think I've told you I've often struggled in my life, especially when I felt in a church the Holy Spirit saying Dave get up there to the altar. What did I do? And Joseph the pushing becomes nudging becomes shopping at least that's how it feels. when God is convicting

But Matthew or Levi I like to call him Matthew didn't hesitate. So as it said Jesus was walking along. He saw Levi, son of alphaeus city tax collector's Booth. You said follow me and Jesus and Levi got up and followed him. Jesus didn't have to tell him about the four spiritual laws. Levi was called leave. I got up and leave I left and follow Jesus. Jesus didn't have to negotiate his benefits package. You just leave I was called and got up when he followed Jesus little Simon Andrew James and John Cyril fisherman, and if things didn't work out they can go back to fishing. But let's Thing 2 minute about Levi. If he believes he's been working for the Roman government and now he goes on a indefinite Hiatus for two or three years as it turns out and you think you can just walk back in and get his job back. He's been hanging around with that with that radical Rabbi that the Romans ended up. Chilling on a cross you think Levi could just walk in and say hey, I'm done with that. Give me my job back or do you think they kind of would have filled it and not really trusted him. Oh Lord. Make us quick to hear and quick to respond to your voice. Amen. Oh, you're sleepy. Complaints about and then complain start coming complaints about who Jesus ate with so Matthew he gave a dinner-party 15 while Jesus was having dinner at Levis house many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciple there were many who followed him.

And of course Jesus stood up on the table and said repent you miserable sinners. That would have kind of been the end of the dinner party. He was really trying to build relationships there. That wasn't the time to take him to task either stand up and say hey you guys are all messed up just fix yourselves and then come to me and I'll consider accepting, you know, he was no acceptance forgiveness comes first. And then with the holy spirit's help and our will willingness comes the power to change some people when when someone's saved. Okay, we got to isolate them from Bad influences in their life and keep them separated until they know the answers to all the questions.

but and I'm yeah, which generally means they're never going to talk about Christ with anybody because they feel insecure about not knowing enough. Believe I Matthew throws this party right away in and introduces Jesus doll as friends before heading out on the road with Jesus and his disciples at this dinner party.

The guys that didn't like Jesus the guys that had recently accused him of blasphemy when he forgave a man of his sins. They they followed along at a distance to hoping Beyond hope that they could discredit Jesus in some way hoping they could just shut him up. They look at it at the party 16 when the teachers of the Lost who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sit with the Sinners and tax collectors. They asked his disciples. Why does he eat with the with tax collectors and sinners Yo in the Christian Life, there is kind of this tension between between being separated and pure and being out there among people who need to hear about Christ and if it were not for monasteries and things like that. I've read that you're much of church history in church discussion would have been lost in the Dark Ages. There's a place for being separate and holy and protected but we can't totally live in isolation for then who's going to who else is going to come with fries. Here's what Jesus had to say on hearing. This. Jesus said to them. It's not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick I have not come to call the righteous but Sinners the Pharisees before saw themselves as the righteous.

Which means they weren't ready to be rescued to to receive Jesus teaching and help but the tax collectors they had no fault. They need to tell when they were interested in what Jesus was offering even if that relationship with the Messiah changed their lives a truth that is often said is that you can only rescue someone who wants to be rescued and Jesus couldn't help the Pharisees, but he could help the party people. And that story I told about the dog was an elaboration of the one that Vicky told Pam the other night. See you get mentioned again this week.

The old dog was ready to be rescued and it came when it was called him the younger dog wasn't and you know trying to catch it have been dangerous when it wasn't ready. Are you ready to be rescued you're the altar is always open. The cross is always there.

what about in this passage next comes to complaints that Jesus followers didn't fast after after not stopping Jesus by pointing out that he eats with Sinners and complaining that his

Do senators then they complained that his disciples didn't fast. They said now John's disciples in the Pharisees were fasting and some people came and asked hours of the John's disciples motorcycles of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not Just as there's a right time the wrong time to address someone sinfulness or to be offering forgiveness. There's a right time to celebrate right. I'm in a right time to exercise self-discipline like fasting and prayer and many other things the story. I read some time ago was about a missionary that served in foreign lands, and he'd only come back, you know every every few years or so and so he came back one day and he marched into the house. I'm back and it's my day for fasting and prayer. He went in the bedroom and lock the door and was in there all day. And the family the kids and stuff they went from daddy's home.

pretty disappointed That was a mistake. That was the wrong time to be self-disciplined. Used what Jesus said in answer? He said how can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot as long as they have him with them, but the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them and they will fast. Did Jesus use the imagery of a bridegroom to talk about about his time with the disciples? Listen to this verse from Isaiah about the bridegroom for your maker is your husband the Lord Almighty is his name? The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. He is caught he is called the God of all the Earth Jesus was the bridegroom and we who are in Christ are the bride John the Baptist also picture Jesus is the bridegroom.

the bride belongs to the bridegroom Johnson this is John from John chapter 3 verse 29 the friends to attend the bridegroom Waits and listens for him and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice that Joy is mine and it is now complete the Jesus illustration make sense while the guests of honor Jesus the bridegroom is here. The festivities festivities are going on and when he leaves you with the party wines, that's when the party winds down the work begins, you know, there's picking up the mass returning rented flows. And and so that would be where we're disciplined work like fasting I would happen. The three short years of Jesus was ministering with them. We're not the time to work on the discipline of fasting. Jesus makes it clear that it will come for fasting you mentioned in that passage in Matthew records in his gospel in chapter 6 when you fast do not look somber as the Hypocrites do for they disfigure their faces to show others there fasting truly. I tell you they have received their reward in full. His teaching was that it was A Private Matter between you and God and not something to boast about Jesus had more to say on the question of of the disciples.

say about fasting he said, you know one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on Old garment. It's kind of interesting how much a pair of pants shrink when you wash them the first time. Otherwise the new Feast will pull away from the old and make the tear worse. No one for his new wine into Old wineskins. Otherwise the wine will burst the skins and both wine and skins will be ruined know they pour new wine into new wineskins. Jesus was saying your this is something new that I'm bringing in the old expectations work with this now.

People have complained during this chapter about who Jesus eats with and they've complained about that. His disciples are changing time to fast. And and now they're going to bring one more food complaint that is food on the Sabbath complaints about harvesting food on the Sabbath. So one Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain fields and his disciples walking along they began to pick some heads of grain and the Pharisees said they look why are they doing? What is unlawful on the Sabbath?

now the first thing I want to talk about is that when I first started reading the Bible King James was what they're basically was in King James says it's a little different there supposed to be a quote here from King James and I forgot to flip it over to King James, but it would where it says grainfields who would have corn fields in where it says heads of grain of the King James would say corn and that used to bother me when I became aware that seem to kind of switch back and forth between green and corn and until I read something recently that said, Will back when the King James Bible was written. What were the grains were called corn? And what we call Corn was called maze. And it's just in modern times that that the wording is Switched, okay.

So with that in mind, let's get back to what was going on in the Greenfield. The disciples were Milling some grain out to the You just get the chaff off and and the long stems and everything so they can eat some of it. The fourth Commandment says remember the Sabbath day by keeping it. Holy six days. Will you shall you labor and do all your work but really?

Was it unlawful to rub a little grain in your hands? They clean it up before eating it. I wouldn't call that work would you? Here's the verse that may shed some light on the subject nor would I call it theft going through someone's field and just idiot few handfuls. Deuteronomy 23, it says if you are into your neighbor's Vineyard and you eat you can eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in a basket. If you enter your neighbors Greenfield, you may pick Colonel's with your hands, but you must not put a sickle up to their standing drain. So another words you can snack it's okay to snack in. Your neighbor's feels go out there getting bags full of stuff to take home. the Pharisees like to add to to the laws to keep us all safe and and they like to argue and little down exactly what the laws was, you know, like What is it? Okay for for woman who washes dishes to go outside and jump out the dishwasher and all kinds of crazy things after they came back from those years of captivity. They come up with 2 bucks the mishnah and the towel mood and those were extra rules for how to live a good Jewish life extra rules that defined work and in that they consider any threshing or winnowing separate the grain from the chaff and stuff. They did find it as work. So that's how the Pharisees could charge Jesus disciples were breaking the Sabbath. Now but over in the phone load it said it was kind of interesting. It said well if they're just using their fingers to a little grain. Probably not work. It's okay. But if they're using their whole hands to really didn't aggressively into it now, that's work. That's breaking the Sabbath. So those extra rules were how?

How the the Pharisees were were trying to charge Jesus with letting his disciples run amok.

Fortunately neither of these books the talmud or the mishnah are in the Bible. Amen.

He answered Jesus answered you that have never have you never read. What David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need in the days of Atlanta are the high priest entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. He also gave them to his companions. A strictly list would look at what David did and say well it was wrong. He ate the consecrated bread that story by the way, you can find in Samuel chapter 21 the first 6 verses David he was running from King Saul any He lied and saying that they were on a secret mission for the king of the high priest and ask for bread the only bread that. They had was consecrated bread. That is it had been in the holy of holies in the tent in God's presence and then new breaded been made and put in there and then take it out. It's called the showbread and only priests were supposed to eat it then and only if they were consecrated and the high free. Sad that I don't have any ordinary Bread on hand. However, there is some consecrated bread here provided the men have got themselves from women.

David replied indeed women have been kept from us as usual whenever we set out. The men's bodies are holy even on missions that are not wholly how much more so today.

Why did abathar ask about the men being consecrated? He's wanting to accommodate King David in and way back in Exodus when when all the people were going to meet God. I was scared them to death to consecrate yourselves.

Physical relations for the next 3 days and then we'll come out and meet God. and Saint David's time for the priest to eat the showbread. They also had to be consecrated. So biased are the high priest. allowed the man to eat the bread because they they definitely were consecrated. And all that's just kind of backstory on the Pharisees challenge to Jesus when his disciples were Milling a little grain to eat. Here's the bottom line. No, Jesus said to those Pharisees. The Sabbath was made for man. Not man for the Sabbath. So the son of man is Lord, even of the Sabbath in Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath make sense and see you upright it. Matthew record isn't another comment that Jesus had made about the Sabbath about Sabbath keeping.

So in Matthew chapter 12, he challenged Pharisees again, or have you not read in the law how the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent. So they're going long doing their work. Of offering animals and stuff that's definitely working and butchering them and cooking and burning them. But it's okay. the Sabbath wasn't the only Rule, the only thing that needed to be done. So Jesus had answers to all of his critics. And we can learn from what he did and what he said. You know, thank you again about Matthew Matthew gay. Did give up a lot to follow Jesus, but he also gained a lot. He gained a new set of friends. group that he belonged with he also now he belongs to Jesus. I belong to Jesus sorry for old him Pops in there. He also and he received a new word to do with with his clerical skills record-keeping and stuff. So he became one of the people to write.

A gospel and in fact you it's surprising that he he lived such a anti-jewish life as a tax collector and then he writes this book that makes all kinds of references to scriptures and everything is very detailed person. Sometimes God will give people skills and then he hopes with hope that eventually in their life, they'll use those skills for his glory. by the way, the good news of the Gospel isn't just for us isn't something only for people just like us it's also for people very different from us food was involved in a lot of these of the criticism, but the left but food wasn't the point you we can welcome anyone. Eat with them, especially those interested in what we have to say about Jesus heal fasting is the spiritual discipline. I've not done it much that the Pharisees the essenes and real Christians have done but there's a time and a place for that discipline. Jesus says you don't make a show of your fast Even in our Sabbath rest. It's okay to prepare food. In fact, most of us would need anything on Sunday if we weren't allowed to do some work in the kitchen. Next week the Palm Sunday, I think so. We'll probably hear about Palm Sunday, but eventually we'll get back to Mark chapter 3 father. Thank you for your word for the stories and how

you demonstrated life you live life in front of people and and answered their questions and How you're Holy Spirit can encourage us to follow you? helpless

the open to share the gospel with anyone that's ready and to discern who's ready and who's not. And be with us this day in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you.