The Scandalous Gospel - Scandalous Behavior

by Timothy Howe

Jesus, a different sort of Messiah

Matthew 8-9 emphasizes the authority of Jesus as the Messiah through his miracles and teachings. Yet much of what Jesus does and says is at odds with what people expected. Jesus did not cater to the religious elite; he ministered to the marginalized and crossed barriers to touch those who had previously been left without important spiritual status. 

Hanging out with sinners

In Matthew 9:9-13, we encounter a story in which Jesus dared to eat dinner with a tax collector, someone who was held in the same esteem as a prostitute. The term most associated with "tax collector" in the New Testament is "sinner." That indicates how despised these people were. And the appropriate attitude toward sinners, at least according to those who were "spiritual," was avoidance. Jesus did something different. Instead of avoiding the sinners, he hung out with them. 

The religious authorities challenged Jesus on this. Well, they really weren't so bold. They challenged Jesus' disciples on this. But Jesus overheard them and responded anyway. And he tells us in Matthew 9:12,

     Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

Jesus came to help sick people, not hang out with those not in need of his forgiveness. This is ironic since, in reality, we all need his forgiveness. Jesus' behavior was considered scandalous. This would likely play a great part in his rejection by the religious elite. Yet, He continue to behave scandalously for the sake of a gospel that He intended rather than one they expected.

How do we see others?

I would challenge each of us to consider how we treat those around us who are less than perfect, ignoring our own imperfections for a moment. This starts with how we see them. A few years ago, I received laser eye surgery that took me from being blind as a bat to seeing better than 20/20. It was as if I received a new pair of eyes. The same should have happened to each of us as we came to know the mercy of God through our Christian faith. We should view the world differently, including seeing others. How do we see others? Do we see them as Jesus does? Do we see them as in need of a physician? Are we willing to be that physician? 

When you come to Christ you receive a new pair of classes, with new lenses that cause you to see things unlike you did before – better, clearer, more vividly and mostly importantly, correctly. 

Behave scandalously 

I believe that every Christian should behave scandalously for the sake of the Gospel because of his or her new spiritual lenses. How do we do this? I suggest we do so by changing our focus to a focus that our new spiritual lenses give us.

Focus more on people than deeds.

Jesus focused on people more than deeds.  Jesus recognized that He was dealing with a person. Every person was initially created in the image of God. Our failings push us away from God, but we must continue to cling to the hope of the redemption of the person regardless of his or her deeds. We do this by spending time with people.  Jesus spent time with people. 

Focus more on opportunities than circumstances.

Jesus focused on expectations more than on life circumstances. It is easy to judge people in difficult circumstances and play the blame game, explaining how they got to this low-point. But just because someone is at a low-point in life does not mean that it is there final destination. Many people have turned their lives around. We should focus on what opportunities can do for someone more than his or her present circumstance. Jesus spent time on the unexpected. He healed and helped the marginalized. He called the rejected. And he created a fantastic team that would change the world out of these "rejects". He recognized that there were greater opportunities than their current circumstances suggested.

Focus more on future potential than past failures.

Jesus focused on future potential because He could see what was in the heart of people and what was the content of their character. Do we judge people correctly? Do we let their past failures determine what we think they are capable of? Jesus was not satisfied with what people had done. He raised expectations.

Focus more on mercy than on religious activity.

Jesus had seen enough religious activity. He criticized people who came and demonstrated how holy they were at the temple, but did not have a real heart after God. Jesus pointed out that he came to offer mercy, not sacrifice. This must be our message. This is the hope of the gospel. This is the purpose of evangelism. We must bring mercy to people, not more religious activity. Religious duty will not get anyone into heaven or into good graces with God. Only His mercy does both. Will we offer His mercy to those around us?

What is God's mercy? 

     “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, 

     he gave the right to become children of God.”  John 1:12

Have you received, believed, and become a child of God?

Will you lead others to receive, believe, and become children of God?