Inclusiveness And Repentance

Last updated on: October 20, 2022 at 2:10 pm by C. Don Jones

Inclusiveness And Repentance 2022-10-20T14:10:32-06:00 C. Don Jones

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Did Jesus practice inclusiveness? Not too long ago, I saw a meme claiming Jesus ate with tax collectors, prostitutes, and other sinners not to be inclusive but to call them to repentance. Curious. I hear the distant voices of ancient Pharisees. What is not inclusive about calling people to repentance? I find no reason to think the two are mutually exclusive. Again, while discussing this with another clergy person, he claimed these people repented at the preaching of John the Baptist before they met Jesus. Why did Jesus not explain this to his critics? There is something lacking in the answer even though Jesus says many did repent.

Discipleship and Inclusiveness

The best example of the controversy described above is the call and celebration of Matthew (whom Luke calls Levi). “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him. As he sat down at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard this, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.'” (Matthew 9:10-13) There are other examples. But this story will suffice.

The readers are supposed to understand what Jesus says here. He claims only sick people need a physician. And then he says, the Pharisees should read Hosea 6:6 again, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” No sacrifices are being offered in this story. So, the focus is on the “mercy” for which God asks. Jesus is a physician who makes house calls. Healing is a large part of his ministry. Healing the whole person is his goal. What medicine does that require? Mercy.

Mercy And Repentance

The story is about what Jesus requires of the so-called righteous. They must recognize that which is obvious to everyone else. The lust for power and prestige has overtaken their good works. The evidence is there desire to exclude some of God’s people to hold sway and be accepted by others. Tax collectors deal in money. Prostitutes sell sex for money. The spiritual elites afford themselves the ability to look down on the people for whom money is the everyday goal. These are people who have no time for studying the Torah. Therefore, they are accursed sinners.

Repentance means literally a change in life. Matthew is making a major change. He is joining Jesus’ group of followers. But this is not welcomed by the Pharisees. Why not? Probably because Matthew still associates with his old friends. It harms his witness in their eyes. Matthew is the only one among the “Tax collectors and sinners” who has offered anything like repentance. The critics do not see anything going on here as repentance in the accepted sense of the term. Appropriate ritual sacrifices are not being made. Neither are the appropriate sacrifices of people being made.

Inclusiveness of People

Jesus would have been glad to have every person at the dinner make changes in their lives right then and there. But the point is, Jesus does not judge them for not making that choice. Jesus criticized the Pharisees later in Matthew because they knew the changes they could make for the sake of other people. Stop tying heavy burdens on people. Stop devouring the inheritance of widows. Cease the pretentious attitude of being God’s defenders.

The next question is did any of the “tax collectors and sinners” decide against Jesus after these dinners. Did they walk away skeptical? Did any decide he was not helpful to them? I wish one of the Gospels showed Jesus dealing with just such a situation. I would like to know what he did in response. Was it always, “Forgive them?” How did he practice mercy towards them? Would he condemn them as he did the Pharisees?

The Actual Point

None of this is really the point of the meme I mention earlier. The meme is meant to paint Jesus as exclusive of certain people. He called the Canaanite woman a dog. (Matthew 15:26) Yet, ultimately, he includes her and her daughter into his ministry. Some interpreters argue the centurion is asking Jesus to heal his sex slave. Perhaps. We know, given the status of slaves in the Roman Empire, it is entirely possible. But it could just as well be he treats the slave like a son. Jesus heals the slave who otherwise had no legal standing. The centurion and his slave are included. Yet, some people are determined to exclude themselves.

Did Jesus call everyone who invited him to repentance? Yes. Was that a condition of his sharing the table with them? No. Simon the Pharisee sees a demonstration of repentance but only sees the woman as a sinner. He does not recognize her actions as loving repentance. But Simon is judged by his own standards compared to this woman. She is saved. It is Simon who has a decision to make.

Biblical Interpretation

Progressive Christianity

The Kingdom of God

The United Methodist Church

Theology

Previous Post

October 17, 2022

Conformity Is Easier

Next Post

October 24, 2022 Crickets

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Addiction Advent Afghanistan Anxiety Ascension Sunday Baptism Barack Obama Biblical Interpretation Bigotry Book Banning BSA Buddhism Choice Christmas Church Discipline Community Conscience Conspiracy theories COVID-19 Culture Wars death cults deconstruction Devotional Divine Judgment Donald Trump Earth Day Election Day empathy Environmentalism Evangelism Exploitation of the Poor Faith False Claims fascism Fear Forgiveness Genocide government Grace Gun Violence Halloween Hate Health Hillbilly Elegy Hindu Holy Communion Holy Week Homelessness Hope Identity Integrity Islam Joe Biden John Hagee Kamala Harris Labor Lent Liberation Theology Lies Love Love as action Neurological disorders Non-Christian Religions Online Worship Original Goodness Pandemic Peace Pentecost Philosophy Preaching Progressive Christianity Racism Redemptive Violence Myth Resentment Saint's Days Satire Sobriety social media Spiritual Self Care Spirituality Technology The Kingdom of God The United Methodist Church Theology Transfigurations Sunday Transgender persons Truth Uncategorized Violence Wesleyan Working Class

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 March 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 October 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 October 2018 September 2018 July 2018 February 2018 January 2018 August 2017 May 2017 November 2016 July 2016 June 2016 November 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 January 2015 November 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 June 2013 March 2013 February 2013 December 2012 August 2012 July 2012 May 2012 February 2012 December 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was a "phylactery" used by Jews during prayer?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A festival garment A musical instrument A small leather box with scripture A lamp