A Whining Church - Pt 2

After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:29-32 ESV). Our reading today describes the call of Matthew to follow Jesus. A dinner followed where his friends met with Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees murmured against the disciples of Jesus because they ate and drank with publicans and sinners. They did not care that the publicans and sinners needed Jesus. They were only concerned with their personal agenda. Sound familiar? This only leads us to the past. We will never be faithful in the present as long as we are yearning for the past. The only era we should long for is a future one, when the kingdom comes fully on earth as it is in heaven.

Furthermore, grumblers are neither persuasive nor appealing. It’s hard to joyfully and consistently proclaim the gospel when all you do is complain about your mission field. Murmuring does not further God’s mission. The root issue, of course, is a lack of faith. Whenever we look at the state of the world and wag our fingers, shake our heads, or wish that we had been born in another time or place, we question God’s sovereignty and resent the task he has given us. Grumbling over the good that we think God has withheld is, in reality, nothing short of rebellion. Faithfulness starts with gratitude. We trust in the God who knows where we are and when we are. This is our time. Holding firm to the word of life is a thrilling adventure. We’re not digging in, like cranks who resent societal shifts or cultural changes. No, we’re standing, with the smile of faith that knows God is good and sovereign and that his everlasting joy will spread to all peoples. We should be people who are joyful because we follow a King who endured the cross “for the joy that was set before him”. Whether we are given suffering, chains, imprisonment, or whether we conquer kingdoms, stop the mouths of lions, escape the sword, and put armies to flight, we must know that only joy in and gratitude to Jesus will win the war for our culture. Yes, we may face obstacles, setbacks, and tough days ahead. But in it all, and under it all, we are also joyful. And this cheerful courage comes not from ignoring darkness or looking only for the bright side, but from believing that the Light will overcome the dark. Let us do everything without grumbling.