SATURDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY

Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? 

Imagine yourself at this banquet with Jesus. In fact, imagine that you are one of the “sinners” (Luke 5:30). Jesus sits down and starts asking you about yourself. As you listen to him, you see the warmth and love in his eyes. Gradually you feel something stirring in your heart. You want to follow this man. You want to change your life.

That is what the Pharisees in this story were missing out on. They were upset that Jesus was spending time with such sinful people. But had they watched Jesus interact with the guests, their thinking might have changed. They might have seen their own need for repentance instead. They knew the Law of Moses; in fact, they had dedicated their lives to it. But what they needed was an encounter with the God who made that law.

Sometimes we can be like these Pharisees and judge people too harshly. Sometimes we judge ourselves too harshly and think that God could never forgive us. But when we “sit down” with Jesus, we see the truth: he is all-loving, all-just, all-merciful. And we see that he welcomes us unconditionally, even though we are not always loving, just, or merciful. It’s then that we want to change and become more like him.

This Lenten season is a wonderful chance to get closer to Jesus. So make a habit of quieting down and putting yourself in his presence. Maybe visit your church or a local chapel and sit before him. Or set up a little prayer space in your home, with a crucifix or holy picture and a Bible. Just be silent. Leave the noise of the world behind so that you can hear Jesus speaking to you. Can you hear him say, “I love you”? That’s what he’s saying, over and over again.

It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done—or failed to do. Jesus wants you to know him and to know that he loves you.

“Lord, thank you for your unfathomable love!”

Isaiah 58:9-14
Psalm 86:1-6
Luke 5:27-32