What if the disciples looked like this?
Or if Judas and Peter confronted each other at the Last super like this?
If Jesus came today these are the kind of people Jesus would have hung out with. Look at who he associated with.
Simon Peter: A fisherman who said “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8)
Nathanael: A judgmental fellow who didn’t think anything good could come from Nazareth (John 1:46)
He called Matthew, a hated tax collector and went to eat at his house with “sinners”. (Matthew 9:9-12)
He chatted with a Samaritan Women who was living with a man unmarried.
(John 4)
He let a woman with a hard, unacceptable life anoint his feet. (Luke 7:36-50)
He hung out with Zacchaeus, another tax collector. (Luke 19: 1-9)
“…It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means. ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’ (Matthew 9:12-13)
If Jesus came to earth today, odd are he wouldn’t pick the people who have it all together. He didn’t the first time! And let’s face it, the kids at the Jersey Shore don’t quite have it together yet.
One of the best things about Jesus is that he lived in society. He lived with the people who needed him. He knew what was going on and if he lived at this time he’d be down at the Jersey Shore spreading the message. We need to live this way. We have to embrace people where they are at. We need to go out into society and find the lost.
As Christians it can become easy to hide in our Churches or our connections with fellow believers. It’s time to stop hiding. We need to support each other as we go out into the world, spreading the good news and seeking the lost. None of us are perfect and we all need salvation. Even those down at the Jersey Shore.
