The Drunken Jesus

About a month ago I witnessed probably one of the most incredible conversations in the Gospel of Luke. I am sure that I have heard and read this dialogue between Jesus and the crowds before, but this was the first time that it really grabbed my attention.

So here is a quick backdrop of the conversation that takes place in Luke 7:18-33. Basically John the Baptist is in prison for speaking radically about change and the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. While in his dungeon John begins to have a bit of a faith crisis moment. So he sends his disciples to find Jesus and make sure that Jesus is who John believes he is. They go. They talk with Jesus. They witness what Christ does. They go back to encourage John. After they leave, Jesus addresses the crowd and this is where it gets pretty amazing.

Jesus knows his audience and he realizes what people are saying about him and makes this comment…”For John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or drinking wine, and you say ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.” (NLT)

Think deeply about this missional passage.

Many of you know that since being here in the UK a group of Jesus followers and I have been out at the bus stop each week early in the morning handing out breakfast to kids before they head off to school. Most teens are hungry because they skipped breakfast at home in order to catch a few extra minutes of sleep. It has been an amazing experience I wish you could see some of the kids change over the last four months. The goth girl has revealed a beautiful smile. Or the shy awkward thirteen year old boy who has the confidence to leave the security of his corner on the wall to join the conversations we are having. Or the cool kids that were once colder than the morning air now greet us with excitement and friendly hellos.

Being a stranger in a new land handing out meals to kids has raised a few eyebrows. There have been times where I wonder what people are thinking. Just recently I had a conversation with a woman who asked why I was doing what I was doing. I told her “It is because of my faith. It is hard for me to say that I am Christian if I cannot follow Jesus’ example by washing feet of friends and strangers. If church is supposed to be something else then I don’t want to be a part of that. I am simply trying to live and love Jesus.” As we continued to talk I quickly discovered that there was some level of skepticism that I was just about offering “charity” and even there was a rumor that I was “grooming” kids…this is what pedophiles do.

After this conversation I felt crushed. I felt sick that even just a few (2-3) people…not everyone had thought this. I was hurt. I definitely can understand this. But it still is rough.

Here we are trying to establish character. We are being above reproach by going out as a team under the banner of the local church…feeding kids on their turf in the public. Isn’t following Jesus supposed to make people like you and greet you with a huge thank you when you do something radical…something like giving a kid a hot sandwich?

That is when I remembered the passage above…Jesus the glutton and drunkard. It blows me away that Jesus knows his reputation and it doesn’t even phase him…maybe it does, but what I get from it is that he kept doing his Father’s will to help people know that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.

This is when I have to remember that God is at work. I do what I can and I trust that He will do what He does best…and that is basically everything.  This is “carrying the cross” sacrificing my reputation by doing things that bring God glory and discomfort to the complacent.

A few weeks ago there was a girl and her mother walking by the Chapel on their way home from school. We had an activity going where I was serving popcorn to kids. As they walked by the both waved and said hello. We ended up talking for about five minutes. The girl and her mum each walked away with a bag of popcorn and a smile. They are thinking of coming checking out the church.