Divine Dining February 25, 2026 Devotional

LUKE 5:30 | ³⁰ The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

In the Middle East, then and now, eating together is a sign of friendship, acceptance, and connection. Jesus made friends with many people whose lives were in stark contrast to the ethics of the Torah.

This behavior was incomprehensible to those who sought to follow the law, like the Pharisees, and those who taught and interpreted it, the scribes. To them, associating with flagrantly unrighteous people was a direct threat to your own moral purity, and could be taken as indirect approval of waywardness and unrighteous behavior.

Many Christians today only associate with other believers for similar reasons, fearing that they themselves may be “led astray” or that befriending unbelievers might imply acceptance of pagan practices. But Jesus approached moral and spiritual problems the way we view medical ones—He wanted to help and heal people, including everyone and anyone who was out of sync with God’s will and purposes.

Have you ever seen non-Christians as threats to be avoided?

Gracious God,

Help me understand Your call to holiness not as separation from those who are strangers to grace, but as fruitful connection.

Amen.