The English language contains somewhere between 500,000 and 1,000,000 words. Over time, words are added, and they will continue to be added to our dictionaries and lexicons. As culture changes, so does the use of words. For instance, the word “handsome” used to mean that someone was handy—that they were good with their hands. Now, of course, we use it to refer to someone or something either as attractive or as plentiful. “What a handsome fella!” Or, “She received quite a handsome bonus from her company.” Each of us likely can remember times when certain words and phrases were popular and often used. In many cases, it seems like those words and phrases came out of nowhere. I remember when “bad” was actually “good,” when “sick” meant “awesome,” when “cool as grits” meant that someone or something was the absolute best, and when “going together” meant that two people were dating, instead of just going somewhere, um, together.

The word “other,” like many words in the English language, has developed into more than an adjective. It has taken on further meaning as a noun and as a verb. The “other,” at least as it denotes human beings, is often used to identify people as different—to put them in another class or status. As a verb, to “other” someone is to treat them as alien, as not a part of the group, whatever that group may be. It actually is a proclamation that a person is not a part of the crowd. That they are dissimilar, separated, detached, and not welcome. It is an indication of distance and, to be frank, rejection. It ultimately is a declaration that someone is not wanted. That they should stay in their group, in their lane, and away from the rest of “us.”

In Luke 5, Jesus is teaching a crowd. Included in that crowd is a group of Pharisees and scribes, “who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem.” This was an important gathering, made so by the presence of these special people. Scribes and Pharisees traveled from far and wide to hear what the Nazarene carpenter had to say. In the midst of Jesus’s teaching, some men bring to Jesus a man who was paralyzed. As the story goes, Jesus not only heals the man, but He first forgives him of his sins. Much consternation ensues, but in the end, people are “filled with awe.”

Immediately after this event, Jesus calls Matthew (“Levi”) to follow him. Matthew drops everything and obeys Jesus. In celebration and honor, Matthew next hosts a banquet in his house, inviting not only Jesus, but also many “others.” Yes, “others.” Tax collectors and sinners. Outcasts and discarded people. The marginalized and shamed. The Pharisees and scribes take issue with this. They are offended that Jesus would sit at a table with such people. They are incensed that the so-called rabbi from Galilee would dare to preach and teach Torah, then turn around and associate with the dregs of society. In their minds and hearts, they could not fathom befriending the “other.”

I cannot say for certain which of the accusations made against Jesus made Jesus most proud. My belief, however, is that being called “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” was a badge of honor for our Savior. He welcomed them. He loved and respected them. He approached “others” as human beings created by God, and deserving of hope, honor, compassion, dignity, and love.

–Ricky