Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

And as (Jesus) sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” ~ Matthew 9:10-13
After all, a lot of people are going to think we are a shocking pair. ~ John Prentice in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (played by Sidney Poitier)


The film, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" caused a stir perhaps mostly in late 1960s America because of its portrayal of interracial marriage in a positive light, at a time when interracial marriage was still illegal in more than a few states in the US.  Someone in one of those states watching the film in 1967 very likely would have been outraged, scandalized, and offended by the subject matter.  Sitting down at the table over dinner with someone of a different race was scandalous enough.  But marriage?
Dining habits hadn't changed much then perhaps from first-century Jerusalem, where the Pharisees were outraged, scandalized, and offended by Jesus' own dinner companions.  
It would be pleasant to imagine that that kind of outrage, scandal, and offense were a thing of the past. Yet, while perhaps there is more of a veneer of togetherness in 21st century Western civilization, I imagine we can still be scandalized at the idea of sitting down with the other over dinner.
Or outraged at the notion of dining with the enemy.
Maybe it takes more pondering.
I think it is worth both individual and communal pondering.  Can you name anyone that it would outrage, scandalize or offend you to see sitting down at the table with your family?  With your congregation?
Who are those who are the most outside our communities today? Who is it that still manages to shock us?
No easy answers.  And no assumptions on my part either.  But it's a question I ask myself every time I read this passage from Matthew.
Is there anyone that it would shock me today to see Jesus sitting at a table with?

God of awe, shock us into an everlasting love of our neighbors, even if those neighbors are the other.  Amen.

 Thoughts for engagement:

 Answer the questions above in the last few paragraphs of this devotion.



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