Cliques

I am so glad Jesus did not have a cliquey attitude towards people.  He spoke with, cared about, and loved everyone he came in contact with; even when they did not feel the same way about him. 

In one of my morning devotions this week, the story of Zacchaeus was discussed in the context of 'making it right', which was the title of the devotional.  The author discussed how Zacchaeus repented of his sins upon meeting Jesus, and promising to make things right.  But as I read the devotional, it occurred to me that although others grumbled at what nerve Jesus had for sitting down for dinner with a known thief, Jesus did not care. 

'And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  And behold, there was a man name Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.  And he sought to see Jesus, who he was, and could not, for the press, because he was little in stature.  And he ran before, and climbed, up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it they murmured saying, that he was gone to be a guest with a man that is a sinner.'-Luke 19:1-7.             
 
You see, Jesus did not care what others thought, He was about Kingdom Business.  He wants as many people as possible to be with him in Heaven so what people think here on Earth does not matter.  Jesus knew who his core group was, his disciples.  Those were the people with whom he shared living space, ate breakfast, lunch and dinner; shared deep discussions.  Jesus knew the difference between the people with whom he had deeper relationships and the people with whom he had to interact in order to heal their hearts.  He spoke with people of 'ill-repute' (the woman at the well), people who did not fit in (the woman with the issue of blood), Zacchaeus (tax collector who skimmed then pocketed the difference), and the list goes on. 

Jesus could not attend church and sit in the same pew on the same side of the church every Sunday, talking only to the people whom he knew and looking the other way when strangers sat nearby.  He did not run people through a battery of tests before accepting them, but used discernment.  He knew when to shake the dust off of his shoes and keep walking.  He used common sense. 

No one gets along or is loved by everyone, but as Christians, we must allow ourselves to be approachable and when lead, we must cultivate the ability to approach anyone.  This is definitely harder for some of us to do than others, but I believe as reserved as some of us are, people can sense that we will respond positively when approached.  That is the Christian attitude and way of life.  Let's work on it.