Get Real November 16 Devotional
November 16, 2024
The most striking thing about Jesus’ approach to “sinners” was his desire to eat with them. Helping the broken is one thing, befriending them is another. It was his willingness to eat with sinners that leaders found galling. In the middle east, dining with another is a sign of acceptance, of friendship and relationship. Healing is multidimensional and Jesus knew that people who struggled publicly, needed acceptance as much as a physical remedy. They needed a new self-definition and to be embraced and welcomed. Ultimately salvation comes not as a grant from above, or as a formal decree, but in the form of friendship with Him.
Why were Jesus’ friendships so aggravating to first century Jewish leaders?
FAMILY TIME
Who do you know who is short on “acceptance”?
