For Tuesday, June 16, 2009
This week's sacred story is set at a meal in Levi's house. Originally recorded in Mark, parallels of this story are also found in Matthew and Luke. Before Tuesday, please read this story, complementing it with your preferred meditation practice (such as lectio divina), and then consider the study questions.
"When Jesus was having a meal in Levi's house, many tax-collectors and sinners were seated with him and his disciples, for there were many of them among his followers. Some scribes who were Pharisees, observing the company in which he was eating, said to his disciples, 'Why does he eat with tax-collectors and sinners?' Hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick; I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.'"
9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.
10 And as he sat at dinner* in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were sitting* with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?’ 12But when he heard this, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’
15Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’
3 So he told them this parable: 4‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
Study Questions:
- What 'grabbed' you? What did you notice?
- Is there a question you would like to put to any character in the story?
- Did you have a 'feeling' reaction at any point in the story?
- What did the passage say to you?
- What do you think the passage says to us?
- Summarize the passage in one sentence.
2 comments:
Tonight we continued our discussion of hospitality. We noted the things we found significant in the texts we read; challenges in and by the texts; and the meaning of radical hospitality. We were blessed by the presence of a guest and by Kristi's delicious meal.
We also separated into three groups and developed rituals/acts of hospitality:
(Group 1) Designed for the Cunningham children: provide an age appropriate litany/ritual for a housing unit to welcome back someone who has run away and recognize the wholeness of the community created by the return of the child.
(Group 2) Challenge a group to prepare a banquet and invite the "tax collectors and sinners" of our time to the feast; also invite the "pharisees" of our time.
(Group 3) Designed for the midweek group: go out into campus community and provide peanut butter sandwiches (or jelly sandwiches to those allergic to peanut butter) for all passing by.
If you weren't at grad study or if you were and had some other ideas ;-), please post them as a followup comment. (For instance, I believe there was an idea about releasing a hundred sheep into Wesley...)
Sorry I'm just now getting around to this, but I note that in Matthew Jesus says [that God says], “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Perhaps this is because sacrifice is something that we do to/for God (only), whereas mercy is something we do to our brothers and sisters (and therefore in a roundabout way gets to God).
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