A while back, I wrote a post about how non-believers usually encounter two types of Christians: the crowd or the tree. Using the story of Zacchaeus, I explained that we can either block people’s view of Jesus or lift them up so they can see Him better. (You can read that post, Lessons from Zacchaeus: Are You the Crowd or the Tree, by clicking here.) Today I want to go into a bit more detail about this, specifically what it means to be like the crowd.
The crowd’s thoughts toward a publican like Zacchaeus were not new. In Luke 5:27-32, the Bible tells us that after Jesus called Matthew (who goes by Levi in this passage), that Matthew had a feast, and the scribes and Pharisees criticized Jesus for eating with publicans and sinners. What was Jesus’ response?
And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Luke 5:31-32
The whole reason Jesus came to Earth was to save the lost (Luke 19:10), yet He was criticized for reaching those people. Why? Because others didn’t think those sinners were worthy.
Well, who is worthy, really?
Zacchaeus is remembered today as the “wee little man” who climbed into a sycomore tree. But aren’t we all “wee little men” when it comes to the Lord? None of us deserve grace. We are all humbled before Christ. Yet Christ looks upon us when we least deserve it. Abides with us when we least deserve it.
So none of us have the right to act like the crowd. To question a sinner’s proximity to Jesus.
Yet we do it. How often have we ostracized people at church because we don’t agree with their lifestyle or their choices? How often have we refrained from witnessing to someone because we didn’t want to be seen with “those people.”
Yet Jesus ate with publicans and sinners. Sinners, as in you and me.
We often chastise the Pharisees and scribes today, speak of them as examples of what we shouldn’t do (as I admit to doing now), but I wonder if we really often act exactly as they do. And could it be worse when we do it? After all, we have all the accounts in the Bible where Jesus reprimanded the Pharisees. So shouldn’t we know better? Yet just as the Pharisees did, we murmur about others in church. We’re choosy about who we witness to, who we reach out to.
We act like the crowd.
How so?
We judge others for their sins.
I spoke about this some in my post Casting Stones, but we often cast judgment on others because it makes us feel better about our own sins. We act self-righteous and try to pretend we’re better than others when we’re not. But we don’t see their repentant hearts because our own hearts are hardened.
Look at the Pharisee in Luke 7:36-50. He invited Jesus to his home then was perturbed at the presence of a woman who was a sinner, a woman who was humbled before the Lord. But Jesus reminded the Pharisee that those who have been forgiven much love much.
While we’re busy judging others for their sins, God focuses on their hearts. God sees their true character, whether or not they’re repentant. And He also sees our character.
Take the Pharisee in Luke 18:10-14 for example. He exalted himself above the publican, but God saw the humble spirit of the publican. How often have we pointed at someone and said, “I’m so glad I’m not like them,” not realizing that the person we’re judging has more of a repentant heart than we do?
This goes beyond an admonition not to judge lest we be judged. Beyond a reminder to focus on the beam in our eye before pointing out the mote in our brother’s eye. This is about recognizing a simple truth.
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: – Romans 3:10
The fact of the matter is, it’s easy to be the crowd. Especially when we all band together to point out the sin of one. But the church isn’t called to ostracize others, to browbeat them and point out their flaws. The church is called to preach the gospel to every creature. Not the people we think are worthy. Not the people in our social group. Everyone.
Because if we were to judge worthiness, we would all fall short of the mark.
