Luke 5. “And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’” (5:30) I could imagine Jesus rolling his eyes at them and snorting a retort along the lines of “Well they’re a lot more interesting to have dinner with than a bunch of grumpy old uptight men who think they are above everyone else…” But apparently Jesus does not do this (don’t worry, I’m not blaspheming here, I’m just imagining how I would have responded). Instead, Jesus restates his mission – I have come to call sinners to repentance (5:32). The way he does that is by spending time with sinners, obviously.

The tax collector in 5:27-32 is Levi (also known as Matthew) and he has just encountered Jesus the redeemer, responded to Jesus’ call to “Follow me”, and left everything to embark on this new life (5:28). Matthew is so excited that he throws a big banquet and invites all his tax collector friends (that’s the only kind of friends he had due to the unique nature of the job) so they too can meet Jesus. Then Jesus gets in trouble with the religious authorities for the types of people He is hanging out with. Here’s the thing – everyone is welcome at the table with Jesus. Everyone.

I am struck by the people Jesus interacts with in Luke 5. I see Jesus’ love for individual people, His mercy and compassion on them, His desire to heal and set things right in their lives, and how people’s interaction with Jesus completely changes their lives. No one who encounters Jesus is left where they were. All who encounter the redemption of Jesus are fundamentally changed.

The man with leprosy (5:12-14) comes to Jesus in faith and finds physical healing. He also finds social restoration, as Jesus’ instructions to him to go and show himself to the priests is part of the process of redeeming the outcast and restoring his place in society. (It’s also a witness to the priests of the power and identity of Jesus.) He goes out and shares his story with everyone.

The paralytic (5:17-26) wants to be healed but cannot get close enough to Jesus, so his friends drag him up on the rooftop and make it happen. (Wow, those are some amazing friends! We could all use friends like that. Pick your friends well, they might have to carry you through some difficult times!) The paralytic is physically healed by Jesus. Even more interestingly, his sins are forgiven, and he is spiritually restored. Amazement seizes the crowd and God’s name is glorified.

Finally, we have Simon Peter, James, and John who are the fisherman at the start of the chapter (5:1-11). Shocked by the miracle Jesus performs, Simon Peter confesses his sins and recognizes Jesus as Lord. In response, Jesus calls all of them to participate in the kingdom mission of reaching people (5:10).

Redemption as we see it in the gospel of Luke is for all people. Everyone is welcome at the table. And every person who experiences redemption is changed – experiencing forgiveness, healing, freedom from oppression, restoration to society, and a calling to the kingdom mission. Redemption is a holistic process that fundamentally changes people. With the people we should be exclaiming, “We have seen extraordinary things today!” (5:26)

What are your thoughts on Jesus hanging out with sinners and everyone being welcome at the table? Have you ever thought about redemption as being something much bigger than just the forgiveness of sins, but instead a holistic restoration and calling to kingdom mission? Who is your favorite character in Luke 5?