Extravagant Inclusion
Matt 21v 31-32 (NIV)
“Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did.”
Frank and I helped on a team at the summer Christian camp New Wine for several years. The team was there to support children and young adults with special needs. In each age group, hundreds of children met in a Marquee to learn about God and have lots of fun together. Just inside the marquee was a tent called the ‘inclusion zone’. This was a place with cushions, ear protectors, quiet games and sensory lights to give some peaceful space to the kids who couldn’t cope with the large gathering. Without this zone, these children would have experienced being excluded from these gatherings - so to watch all the activities from a safe place meant a huge amount to them.
We so often see Jesus including the social outsiders and turning their lives around. Take for instance Zacchaeus, the hated tax collector. Collecting taxes for the Romans made him despised by the Jews, but certainly no friend of his employers either. He was wealthy, corrupt and excluded. But something drew him to take a look at this man Jesus who was loving, generous and kind. We’re told that Zacchaeus climbed a tree to get a better view and to his astonishment Jesus invited himself to his home for the day. I find it extraordinary to see the effect that Jesus’s extravagant inclusion had on Zacchaeus: in one day he had given half his possessions to the poor plus he agreed to pay back four times the amount he owed to those he had cheated.
Jesus’ close friend, Mary Magdalene, had had a troubled past (she had been demon possessed) and yet Jesus gave her special status: not only was she there at the foot of the cross with his mother Mary, but she was the first person to see him alive after the resurrection - extravagant inclusion.
Prayer — Thank you Lord that you love us unconditionally whatever we’ve done; whatever our history or background you see our potential.