Matthew: Part 1Sample

Matthew invited Jesus and the disciples to dinner with other tax collectors and “sinners”. Now, sharing a meal was a big deal back then. You didn’t just eat with anyone. You only ate meals with really close friends and family. 

And then you have Jesus eating with the kinds of people that other people avoided. Jesus wasn’t afraid to hang out with people who other people didn’t like, avoided, or pushed aside. 

Other people gave Jesus a hard time for hanging out with these people. They called Him names because He spent time with them, but He didn’t let that bother Him.

As followers of Jesus, we should do the same. We shouldn’t only hang out with people we like, with people who like all the same stuff we like, and who are easy to be around. 

We need to be willing to build relationships with people who are different than us—maybe people others avoid. This might mean we spend time with the lonely kids, the “weird” kids, kids in other grades, kids who like different things than you do, and kids who look different or talk differently than you. 

Other people may say stuff about you or to you for spending time with them, but don’t let that bother you. Jesus didn’t let it bother him. 

So, take a look at your friend circle. Is there anyone in there who people would look at and say, “you’re friends with them!?”

Write down the name of one person you can reach out to this week who you wouldn’t normally reach out to and then message them on social media, send them a text, or actually have a conversation with them in school.