Party Guests

I’m going to let you in on a little “post-Harvest-sermon” Sunday afternoon tradition that I have: After a blessed morning of worship and preaching, I go home, eat some lunch and then crawl under my anxiety blanket, watch The Great British Baking Show and take a nap. Every Sunday. That’s my routine. 😉 Now that I think of it, perhaps this was Jesus’ routine as well (see Luke 5:16).

Somewhere between lunch and burrowing under the blanket last Sunday afternoon, my wife asked me a question, “Maybe Zacchaeus was there?” Honestly, that comment came from out of nowhere. “Where?” I asked. “At the party!” she replied. I was still not completely following so she filled in the missing details and, honestly, her observation blew me away.

First, a little context: Last Sunday, I preached on the story of Levi, a tax collector, whom Jesus would invite to become one of His disciples. In case you missed it, here’s the scripture from last week’s message.

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.

Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:27-32)

Note that, on the other side of accepting the invitation to leave behind the tax collector business and follow Jesus, Levi pushed away from the table and he threw a party! He invited the only friends he had – the other outcasts like himself and his fellow tax collectors – to come and see what Jesus was all about.

So, after sitting in the message that morning, my bride threw a question out that I had never considered. What if Zacchaeus, another famous tax collector that Jesus would become friends with (see Luke 19), was at the very party that Levi threw early on in Jesus’ ministry?

We may never know, but perhaps he was there. Perhaps that seemingly small invitation from Levi was a seed planted in Zacchaeus’ heart that, later, Jesus would grow into a deeper relationship with Him that would change his life too, forever!

Truth be told, we’re not the ones who save others. That’s the role of the Holy Spirit. Our job, however, is to take every opportunity we can to share the Good News of the Gospel and, as the seed of hope is planted in others, maybe we don’t see a change immediately, but you never know what may happen in time.

So, friends, here’s to throwing more parties. Here’s to being intentional with loving God and loving our neighbor and, in doing so, may all declare that the Good News of the Gospel is just that: “Good news!”