Suspend Judgment, At Least for a Moment

When Jesus was leaving, he saw a man named Matthew sitting in the tax collector's booth. Jesus said to him, "Follow me," and he stood up and followed Jesus. As Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with Jesus and his followers. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked Jesus' followers, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard them, he said, "It is not the healthy people who need a doctor, but the sick. Go and learn what this means: 'I want kindness more than I want animal sacrifices.' I did not come to invite good people but to invite sinners." Matthew 9:9-13

Imagine eating with Jesus. However, at this table, project 21st century "sinners" into your consciousness. Jesus had just recruited an IRS agent that looked more like a loan shark. This dude was so excited he asked Jesus to his crib for some down home. Once they were past the security gate and into Matt's house, enthusiastically, the former tax-collector instructed his personal chef to prepare a five star with the finest Bordeaux. He got so excited he decided to IM a few of his friends and invite them to get down with him and Jesus. The word got out that there was a rabbi visiting with Matt at his home -- strange news.

Matt didn't have a lot of friends, but the friends he had started coming in droves. There were the sisters from the Dead Sea Pleasure Palace (their motto was "Let us Float Your Boat"). A few guys came from the local Smoke Shop and Tattoo Parlor. Another group came from the local AA that had gotten together for some drinks and heard about Matt's new friend. They knew at least the food would be good and they would have some good wine before their next meeting. Even Lazarus the Lizard Man showed up. He was about to go in for some more work, when Tim at the Tattoo Parlor invited him to come along with him and go to Matt's house. Lazarus was in the process of transforming his body into a lizard. His forked tongue was healing nicely and he was about ready to start the work on creating his tail.

Everyone arrived on the scene full of excitement and yet apprehension. No one knew what to expect. Eating with a "religious leader" was like waking up in the morning with out a hangover, it just didn't happen. And then they met Jesus.

Jesus was sitting at the table, talking about his Father. Matt was on the edge of his Cypress stump. He motioned for the others to join him around the table. As Jesus began talking about his father, tears began welling up in their eyes. They had never heard a religious leader speak with such compassion and love. Jesus was hitting some nerves. There were several women from the Pleasure Palace who had been sexually abused by their fathers when they were young, one of the men had deep scars where his father would often get carried away with an olive branch -- and there was Lazarus. He had never known a father. His mother kicked him out of the house when he was a small boy, and he took up residence at one of the local garbage dumps. He began playing with the gechos, and decided that is what he wanted to be.

Tears from emotional triggers became tears of joy for this gathering of "distinguished guests" as Jesus began sharing that he and his Father loved them and was providing them a home. He than began walking around the room, hugging and blessing Matt and his friends. The words and actions of Jesus were almost too good to be true. This man was no ordinary "religious" leader. And then the surreal once again became real. Some of the local religious leaders knocked on the door.

"Who the hell does your rabbi think he is?" yelled one of the teachers at one of Jesus' followers. Jesus looked in the man's eyes with compassion yet contempt, and shared who he wanted on his guest list. "It is not the healthy people who need a doctor, but the sick. Go and learn what this means: 'I want kindness more than I want animal sacrifices.' I did not come to invite good people but to invite sinners."

Slowly the religious leaders began walking away from Matt's house. They began talking among themselves how delusional and dangerous was this man, Jesus. As they went back into the city, the religious leaders could hear laughter echoing from Matt's house. They were thinking that Jesus must have made some satirical remarks about them, which made them even more livid. They really believed that everything was about them. The truth was, the laughter was springing from hearts of joy. The company of Jesus was like nothing else they had ever experienced. It was better than sex or getting high. For the first time, they were experiencing the gift of love.