Matthew 9:9-13 KJV
9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.
11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Matthew was a tax collector, who collected money at the receipt of customs or basically the city gate as people came into the town. Jesus called to Matthew and told him to follow him. And Matthew got up and followed Jesus. In Jesus early ministry he ate with sinners. Matthew was apparently already called to be one of Christ disciples, went apparently to his house to dine with other publicans/tax cllectors and sinners. Pharisees had a problem when they seen sinners at the table of Christ. I seen a really good sermon on this topic the other day and I be honest I could not do as good of a job as this woman preacher did. It highlighted her life story with the fact of being called to the supper table of Christ as a sinner. What she did was portray the fact the sinners came in to the house where Jesus was and Jesus beckon to them to have a seat beside him. It was a story of how Christ takes each of us and calls us to dine at his table, to eat the bread of his word for salvation, to eat the bread and drink the cup of spiritual life.

My question upon reading the above passage what was the Pharisees doing but only shunning the sinners from hearing the word of God. The Pharisees had become to holy minded to see the need to feed the sheep not only of Israel but the sheep in the other field that been invited to a feast. Why are the people segregating away from the sinner or the stranger invited to the church, to the meeting place of faith. Let alone maybe the one needing aid or help in their situation in life. The unkempt person, to the person with the shiny shoes and way to short of a dress that the men just about have a heart attack over, but the men that are not save go gaga over. You know those woman and you know those men that lust after every woman but especially those in tight short short skirts. Even the Christian men make comment to their wives without thinking what they are saying. Yes lets admit the gossip in the church world is worse then the gossip sometimes on the street, why because of how out of place people can look in a church at times.

Individuality in our world have become easy to ignore. Seldom does anything shock anyone unless they never seen it before. Even the Christian is not shocked by outside the church, it the inside of the church the Pharisees and Sadduccess look and say what "isn't that skirt to short, or the top to tight or a little to low cut". Sometimes it all has to do with the way one is raised. It nothing wrong with adapting these ideas to protect yourself how you dress, but when you try and dress another in the land of liberty, and they are accustom to worldly liberty, unless it is for a concert, a performance that special or something or other. Well it not going to happen. God is the one that as to do the changing of even the outward worldly look of a person. Allow God to change the mindset of attire in the church world if need be and so forth. If the local strip bar has ten woman to show in the church do not worry, they need Jesus too. The bandit, the murder, the practical joker, and the sad and lonely all need Jesus too.

What is my point this morning, the sinner no matter the life style need Jesus too. We all were sinners before the day of our salvation. Do not say well I was never this or that, you label and making yourself more self righteous then you are. Meaning we all saved by faith, not by our works should anyone boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). If Jesus table is open to all why are people stand offish to share it with others. They have failed to see the need of the loss, they desire to try and protect something sacred to themselves. They are without knowledge of the faith being the value that enables the body of Christ to grow by which the lost must come to dining table of Jesus. The thing is Jesus is calling to the sinners and not just the sheep he has already saved. He calls them to a banquet of fruit, meat, bread, vegetables, milk and even the wine. Do not block the sinner from the dinner table of faith the cup of salvation and the bread of life.

If I went to one of these big all you can eat buffet and I decided I could eat everything in it and so had the waiters block the door, so no one else could eat but me, I be stingy, and also a glutton for punishment. If I open the door and even to let people go on ahead of me, then I no long stingy or a glutton, because I see there is room for more. Share the dinning table you eat at. Hopefully it at the minimum that word of God. Don't be Pharisee and not share with the sinner.

Dear Heavenly Father, you sent your Son to call the world to the dinner table to know who He is and eat of the food on the table. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Luke 11:37-39 KJV
37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.