Who’s Coming to Dinner? – April 3, 2022, the Fifth Sunday in Lent
Psalm 91:9-16, Luke 19:1-10
April 3. 2022, the Fifth Sunday in Lent
The title of this sermon sort of comes from the title of an old movie entitled, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” Did you ever see it? I have to admit, I never did. Maybe that’s because I was 10 when it came out.
It was a movie about an interracial marriage, which was quite controversial at the time. In fact, when it came out in 1967, it was released only 6 months after the Supreme Court struck down the laws which were still on the books in 17 states, which made such marriages illegal. It’s hard to believe that was in our lifetime!
It was also the last film which starred Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn together. Tracy himself died 6 months before it was released – 2 days before the Supreme Court ruling! It also starred Sidney Poitier, who died just this year in January.
The premise of the film was not just that these two people were a couple, but it was “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” And the idea of bringing home someone to dinner always brings a person to a higher level of relationship with a family! Doesn’t it?
Maybe you can remember when you first brought your spouse to meet the family. Or maybe you can remember what it was like for you, when your spouse brought you to meet his or her family for that first time. We’re you nervous? Or were you “petrified?” We used that word last week! Meeting the family is a watershed moment in a relationship, isn’t it?
Think about it. Dining together brings any relationship to a different level! Think of how many first dates were centered around being “asked out to dinner?” Maybe you can remember that, too. Think about all of our big family events. They often center around a meal. At our Agape celebration, I’ve often asked you to think about all the religious celebrations that are centered around a meal. Passover, Communion, Christmas, Easter, and even Thanksgiving. In the old liturgy books those celebrations were even referred to as “Feast Days.”
With all that in mind, I wanted to point out a progression I see here in Luke’s Gospel. If you go back to chapter 14, you’ll find Jesus dining in the home of one of the Pharisees. And many other Pharisees were there as well. And if you remember that story, he had a confrontation with them at that meal about healing a man who had “dropsy.” That’s because it was the sabbath day! I had to look that up one time. Dropsy was the swelling of the legs and ankles, probably associated with congestive heart failure. Yeah, they had that, too!
So, Jesus dined with the Pharisees in Luke 14. They wanted that higher level of association with him. But then, in chapter 15, we’re told that the Pharisees saw that the tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to Jesus. And notice again that tax collectors had their own category of sinfulness! (You may be thinking about that in a couple of weeks!) Well, these tax collectors were hated because they were Jews who the Romans had hired and empowered to collect the Roman taxes. The Romans were shrewd! They didn’t collect the taxes themselves. They got the people to collect! Because of that, those tax collectors were seen as traitors, and they were hated!
So, the Pharisees began “murmuring” about Jesus. “This man receives sinners and eats with them!” There’s that next level of association. It wasn’t just that he was with the sinners – and tax collectors! He was dining with them! And in that case, when Jesus heard their murmuring, he told them the story of the Lost Sheep!
Then, fast forward a few chapters and we come to our story for today. This is the last part of the progression. Because here in chapter 19, Jesus comes to Jericho, and he encounters this man named Zacchaeus. And Zacchaeus is not just a tax collector. He’s the chief tax collector! And Jesus announces, in front of the whole crowd, that he’s going to stay with him! We don’t have any mention of what the Pharisees thought about that. But we do have the reaction of that crowd of people! They all murmured! “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And I suspect that’s the “cleaned up” version of what they were saying!
Again, the association with this man was shocking to those people. Dining with the chief tax collector was unthinkable! You’ve heard the expression “guilty by association.” Well that’s a thing for some people. And that was one of the biggest objections Jesus’ enemies had about him. They didn’t like who he “hung out” with, and of course, who he dined with! But we know that’s simply who Jesus was! And he concludes our passage today by saying, “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost!” And so, Jesus came to stay with the chief tax collector. And this then became a story of redemption.
So, what does this story say to us? Well, I think it calls us to think about who we associate with – and why. I remember that it was in Junior High that I began to notice how important it was to my parents who I chose as friends! And I know that had to do with them being concerned about the kinds of influences that were being brought on me at a young age. And that’s a legitimate concern for all parents.
But what about now in our lives? How does this look for us as adults? Who do we associate with? Who do we choose as our friends? Do we reach out only to those we are comfortable with? Do we still have those thoughts, like, “Oh, we shouldn’t associate with such and such people?” Do we take the social cues and only reach out to people that others are comfortable with us associating with? That’s part of it, too, isn’t it? “Oh, I don’t want to be seen with such and such people.” In other words, what will people think of me? And that’s a real thing, too. Isn’t it?
Maybe you can remember times in your life where you felt people pressuring you not to be friends with certain other people. That can be quite a challenge, can’t it? And dare I challenge you to think about this in terms of politics? “Ooooh, I hope he’s not going there!” “He’s not supposed to discuss politics from the pulpit!” And that’s correct. I do avoid that – I hope you know! But I do want to challenge us in how we associate with other people who might not believe what we believe about the world!
In our world today, many people simply write-off those they disagree with. They label them, they even call them names, and they have nothing to do with them. And the really sad thing is when that happens within families! And I’ve seen it! And I’m sure you have, too.
You see, now we’re talking about losing that higher level of association, aren’t we? And as we think about that, let’s keep in mind old Zacchaeus. What would have become of him, if Jesus had shunned him as I’m sure the rest the Jericho-ites did?
Think about it this way. We never know what kind of association with another person might bring about their redemption. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that we never know what kinds of things in our lives God will use to touch another person. We never know what kind of association with another person might bring about their redemption.
As we go through this Lenten season, we need to ask ourselves, will the people who know us come to a better understanding of the God we worship? That’s a huge question. Do we live our faith in such a way that the people who know us will come to a better understanding of the God we worship? And that’s a question that’s directly tied to the busines of who we choose to associate with. Because, if you think about it. any kind of door we close to another person ends that possibility.
So, this Lenten season, as you’re thinking about your life of faith, consider who it is that you have chosen to be in relationship with, and who it is that you share your life with. And in that sharing, as other people get to know you, will they see in you the God who has chosen to be in relationship with you?
Prayer
Eternal God, we thank you that you first loved us and that you first chose to be in relationship with us. Help us to consider the people around us in our lives, however we encounter them. May they see in us, the love you first gave us, and the redemption that we didn’t deserve, but you were pleased to give. We thank you for calling us to be your people. And we pray in our Savior’s name, Amen.