The Hospital



After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

All around the world, churches are being sold off and converted into temples, stores, homes, and nightclubs. People are leaving the faith in droves, and for every person who comes to Christ, there are a thousand who go away. In churches across Europe — those that are still open, that is — it is common to find just a handful of people attending a Sunday service, and all of them are grey-haired. The question for any concerned Christian has to be:" Why? Why don't people want to come to Jesus anymore?"

The answer, unpleasant as it might be, is us. People don't come to Jesus because those of us who call ourselves his followers do not show the face of Christ to the world. If we appear to be unmerciful, unforgiving, and unkind, people think that Christ must be like that. Do you see? We have to be like Jesus in our attitude toward people. He said, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). This is what people need to feel when they see us.

However, we seem to have become like the Pharisees we so despise. When Jesus had a meal with people that the Pharisees considered "bad", they complained. "Why do you eat and drink with sinners?" And Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Churches should be like hospitals, inviting the sick and the wounded, the bruised and the broken; not like airports where you have to show a Covid-free certificate before they let you enter.

Millions of people in the world today are lonely and suffering, wounded and hurting, depressed and suicidal. They struggle with addictions and sinful habits that they want to put an end to but can't. Only Jesus can help them, but they won't find him unless we introduce him to them. But they have to see him reflected in us if we are to do this. Paul says: "As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another as the Lord forgave you." 

And then he says, "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity" (Colossians 3:12-14). God is love. Let us show people this love. And see how millions of people start packing our churches again. 

I’d like to invite you to register for the next School of Discipleship starting Sunday, March 7, where we will learn how to show people this love. Classes will be held on Zoom every Sunday at 9 am GMT. This corresponds to 12 pm in Kenya, 1 pm in the Middle East, 2.30 pm in India, 5 pm in Manila, 6 pm in Japan, 8 pm in Melbourne, and 10 pm in Auckland. You will find more details in the registration form. The link is https://bit.ly/hsischool. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let’s Get Healed - A Reflection on Matthew 18:21-19:1

Image
  Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, an
Read more

Patience - A Reflection on Luke 2:33-35.

Image
  And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”   This is probably the shortest passage that we have reflected upon this year. In it, we find a man named Simeon making a prophecy about three things. One, about Jesus. Two, about the people of Israel. And three, about the pain that Jesus’ mother Mary would go through. We have seen all his prophecies came true. But who is Simeon? And what can we learn from him? Ok. On the 40th day of his birth, Jesus is taken by Mary and Joseph to the temple to be officially inducted into the Jewish faith. When they were there, a man named Simeon came in to see them.   He is described as “righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the H
Read more

Dying and Killing

  The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier,
Read more