Fully Devoted: JesusSample

Invitation to Heaven

Jesus had this quirky habit. He always invited people in when society had left them out. He went after the weird ones, the nobodies, the rejects. And He invited these men and women to find their place in the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the throughline of Jesus’ ministry because He was building something different—something not based on status or merit, but on radical grace. 

We see it in His family history. From the beginning of the biblical story, God has been inviting the people we’d least expect to be part of something really special. People like Rahab and Tamar, who both played the role of prostitute. One faking it to accomplish her own agenda; one the real deal. Pause. Did you catch that? There’s a literal prostitute in the genealogy of Jesus. Then there’s Jacob, the deceiver who stole the birthright from his brother. And Manasseh, one of Israel's many kings who did evil in the eyes of the Lord, notably by setting up places of sacrifice for the worship of pagan gods.

Take that in for a second. To think that Jesus, our Savior, came from such a messy, dysfunctional family. This goes to show that no matter what you’ve done, how you’ve messed up, or the baggage you carry, you’re still invited to be a part of God’s family. All of the names we can read in Jesus’ family line screwed up in some way, but God still chose them to be part of His redemptive plan to rescue humanity and restore creation. Today, because of Jesus, we’re offered that same invitation. 

And the genealogy is just the prequel! The person Jesus chose to reveal His identity to? A Samaritan woman. And here’s the thing: She wasn’t just a Samaritan woman, she was a Samaritan woman with a past. This past involved five different marriages, and nothing seemed to be changing in her life because she was already living with another guy. Still, Jesus picked that moment and that woman to reveal His identity as the long-awaited Messiah and invite her to share His mission with her entire village. 

Jesus’ methods messed with people, particularly the people who were bought into the value system of their culture. This included the religious leaders. They thought they had it made. They were at the top of their social ladders, leaders, well-educated. But their titles had produced entitlement. So when Jesus came and turned everything on its head, introduced a completely different value system, and included the people that the Pharisees had rejected … they were upset.

Take Jesus’ invitation to Matthew as an example. This dude was a traitor to his people—a tax collector working for the empire of their oppressors. But Jesus picked this guy to spend basically every waking moment by His side for the next three years. Why? 

But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:30-31 NIV

Jesus had a mission. He was announcing the nearness of heaven and inviting everyone to be part of it. The people who accepted that invitation, though, were the ones who were aware that they needed it—the ones who were desperate for hope and for healing. But the Pharisees were so obsessed with their own put-togetherness that they refused to acknowledge their illness. Is that us? We know sin is a cancer that escalates and infects. It blinds us to the image of God in ourselves and others. One result of that blindness is self-righteousness. And that’s not a characteristic of Jesus’ “ideal partner.” Jesus’ “invite list” looks completely different. 

… He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:2-10 NIV

Journaling Questions

• What verse or passage stands out to you the most from today’s reading? Write it in your journal. 
• What encourages you most about who Jesus invited to be part of His family and ministry? 
• Ask God to search your heart and reveal areas of blindness to you today. Journal that prayer.