"Disreputable Characters"

Matthew had an interesting set of friends according to Matthew 9:10 MSG. “Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with his (Jesus’) close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them.” Where did these characters come from? Sounds like they were Matthew’s friends. Later the Pharisees criticized Jesus for setting such a bad example for spending time with such “crooks and riffraff”.

Let me ask a question: if Jesus came to your house or mine, what disreputable characters would he meet there? (I know some right now might respond, “Well, it depends on how many family members were there” but that’s a topic for another time.)

Look at this question from at least two different angles.

One is that we don’t have “disreputable characters” as friends. This is probably true if we have been followers of Jesus for a long time or come from a family of long time Jesus followers. Our friends tend to be nice, cool, respectable, spiritual—you name it. As followers of Jesus, we have made it a priority to not have disreputable characters as friends. You know, our friends tend to reflect to others who we are.

Unfortunately, it is all too often true what I remember a friend saying,

“Non-believers have two problems. One, they either don’t know a Christian or …two, they do know a Christian.”

They don’t know a Christian therefore they can’t hear nor see the good news lived out.  Or they do know a Christian who has such a condemning or negative attitude that these kind of Christians drive people away from Jesus.

If we really don’t have contact with people who are not Jesus followers, we need to find some…on purpose. Not as a “project” so we can set our witness sights on them and “get them” for Jesus. Besides, most people smell out this kind of hypocrisy a mile away. But because we are missing something vital in our relationship with Jesus when we don’t have others to introduce to him.

If you find yourself isolated from people who do not follow Jesus you might ask yourself:

·       “Why am I not serving someone who is not a follower of Jesus to the point that we become friends?”

·       “How did I get so isolated from people who need to hear and see Jesus from me?”

·       “When did I become so isolated that I would have to build some relationships with non- Jesus followers on purpose?”

Granted there are times when dysfunctional people need to be removed from our lives.  Abusers, manipulators, users, etc. But I think we’re seeing something different in Matthew’s case. He had “disreputable characters” as friends because he himself was a disreputable character. A tax collector for the Romans was not on the Jewish list of most favorites. The crowd he ran around with was made up of the outcasts of Jewish society. 

The amazing thing was he had just become a follower of Jesus and was evidently eager for his friends to meet Jesus.  And the truly great thing for us-- Jesus was eager to meet them.

One other angle to look on this disreputable character thing, how hard is it to think of ourselves as a “disreputable character”? I’m finding the times I get closer to Jesus are also the times when I’m more aware of just how much that I am accepted by sheer grace. It’s those times I am confronted with how very disreputable I am without the grace and love of Jesus I find Jesus getting closer to me.

And that self-awareness of how much I am a “disreputable character” helps me extend love and mercy to others. About the time I am ready to write someone off…I am reminded about Jesus being excited to have dinner with me. Me! Not that I’m into that “I’m just a poor sinner and no-good” kind of thing. But I know what good there is in me is not why Jesus loves me.  He loves me with complete awareness of who I am without him. And he loves me…a disreputable character.

So, how many disreputable characters would Jesus find in your house if he came to dinner…there would be at least one.