Tip of My Iceberg

Our daughter had asked us to host the team she and her husband work with for dinner. She made it easy–I didn’t have to cook. Just clean up the place, make sure the toilets were decent, and be friendly.

I could do that.

The group was quite diverse, with people coming from several different countries. Tiffany had chosen a caterer who specialized in gluten-free dishes, being aware of allergy issues. Barbecue, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and the most beautiful cupcakes you could imagine.

Folks came in, and as I greeted them and directed them further into our home, they were each so gracious and appreciative for being there. It made me glad we had the space to do this.

In our home, we don’t have enough table space for everyone to sit, so people grabbed food and sat wherever there were chairs or couches. John had a soccer game on; internationally, soccer is a common language, so people gathered to watch, comment, and enjoy one another’s company.

About an hour into the dinner, Teagan came in after his own soccer practice, and quizzically raised his eyebrows–a universal sign for “What’s going on?” At nineteen years of age, he’s quite tall and quite the conversationalist. I wasn’t surprised when he grabbed a plate, filled it with food, and sat with those watching soccer. In no time, he was talking with two friends from Africa about the game, how he’d just been on their continent, and knew quite a bit about their favored teams.

He just joined in. It didn’t matter that he was dressed in his practice uniform and smelled somewhat of sweat. He was friendly, people-curious, and gracious.

I was quite proud of him. Young people don’t always have the skill set to engage adults with grace.

It’s getting harder and harder to engage in honest conversations with people, especially face-to-face. We hide behind screens, preferring to text rather than talk. Conversational skills are diminishing.

Jesus understood that. He lived in a culture where there were strict rules of engagement, and it was all very class and gender oriented. Women didn’t have the value that men had, and children had even less value. The religious leaders were at the top of the acceptance pyramid.

Matthew, known as Levi, who’d been a tax collector for Rome, became one of Jesus’ disciples. He had invited Jesus and the other men to his home for dinner, and he included on his guest list “a collection of disreputable guests”. Mark 2:15. When the religious leaders saw Jesus eating with these questionable people, “they asked His disciples, ‘What kind of example is this, acting cozy with the misfits?’” Mark 2:16

Jesus didn’t care about optics. He wasn’t trying to impress people with who or what He knew. He cared for people. He calmly responded, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually fit.” Mark 2:17

Too often, it’s easy to get caught up in how other people look or what they’re doing. We’re so driven by likes and trying to influence others that we forget that being who we are means being real and caring for people–all people. We should never pick and choose who we’ll be nice to; everyone deserves dignity and respect.

Teagan wasn’t bothered by what he wore to our dinner. He was kind, gracious, and he engaged individuals in conversation that gave others the chance to be known.

Being people-curious with grace is who Jesus was.

It’s an example well-worth following.