Careful study of the gospels shows us five distinctive characteristics of Christ’s table fellowship. First, He consistently sought out fellowship with outcasts. Secondly, those outcasts responded to Him with joy. Third, the religious establishment routinely grumbled about it. Fourth, the table fellowship was preceded by a call to radical discipleship. And fifth, such incidents frequently conclude with Jesus talking about His redemptive mission.
There are many lessons here that could fill up many books, and we could all profit by them. But we should draw our attention to only one of them right now. We are feeble, and one at a time is a good pace.
As we embrace table fellowship with the Lord here—for this is what we are doing—we have to be careful to remember all five aspects of His kindness to us. In particular, we should be careful not to let our embrace of His call to radical discipleship in the fourth point turn us into the grumblers of the third point.
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Radical discipleship is not radical fussing. Radical discipleship does not mean hyper-scrupulosity. Radical discipleship does not mean wagging a bony finger under the noses of others. Radical discipleship means that you come here to consume the body of another, imitating Him, and therefore you are learning how to be consumed for others. This too is grace.
Come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.