This article was originally written for The Gospel Coalition Australia, and can be seen on their website HERE.
My church in West Auckland has been exploring this theme in a recent sermon series, “God’s Guest List: Welcome and Inclusion in the Gospel of Luke.” It seems to me that Kiwis and Aussies alike are averse to excluding people, and alert to those they consider to be exclusionary. Perhaps it is not surprising that we were called hypocrites when we promoted our series in local online spaces. After all, aren’t we evangelicals notorious for shunning and excluding those whose lifestyles don’t align with what we prescribe as good and godly?
The welcome and inclusion of outsiders is distinctive and prominent in the Gospel of Luke. It is this Gospel that highlights Jesus’ encounters with and embrace of lepers, sinners, tax collectors, foreigners, and other “undesirables”. Luke includes parables of inclusion such as the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, the Great Banquet, and more. Luke wants us to know no one is outside of the scope of Jesus’ redemptive work.
In contemporary Western culture, calls for welcome and inclusion might be expected on the basis of human rights, on the dignity and value of every human being. But another theme found in Luke’s Gospel tends not to be adequately reckoned with: the seriousness of sin. By contrast, Jesus’ mission is directed by God’s generous purpose to redeem sinful people from every corner of humanity. In the early chapters of Luke, this is the basis for Jesus bringing inclusion and forgiveness of sins to all kinds of people excluded from faith and fellowship.
The Barrier We Are Invited to Cross
The reality of sin moderates our understanding of Luke’s theme of welcome and inclusion. Sin remains an inhibitor to our access to God. In many ways, sin is simply foreign to how we think today, so we minimise it. But sin doesn’t fade or expire because we ignore it. It remains humanity’s biggest problem, ruining our relationships with others and with God. This is the problem Jesus was sent to resolve. We see Jesus in action for this purpose in the Gospel of Luke. He welcomes the ostracised and ushers them into the community of God’s people. And by his atoning death he made the means for erasing the barrier of sin that ruined the possibility of relationship with God.
Who Are Sinners in the Gospel of Luke?
Many kinds of people are highlighted as sinners in this Gospel, but they tend not to be those who are despised and rejected by the pious and the powerful. Who does Jesus single out as sinners? The rich, who are presumed exploitative and uncaring of the poor and powerless (Lk 6:24–26); people who tempt or provoke or enable sin in others (17:2); the Pharisees, who care more about outward displays of piety and religion than about justice and fairness for those who need it most (11:37–54); and servants of Jesus who neglect or abuse their positions of leadership (12:41–48).
Jesus is God’s agent of redemption and the divine Son of Man who has God’s authority over all the nations of the world (cf. Dan 7:13–14). Throughout this Gospel, all are warned against being unmoved by Jesus’ appeals (Lk 10:13–16; 19:41–46), against treating him as unimportant (9:23–26; 13:22–30; 14:16–24), and against rejecting him outright (9:51–56; 19:27; 20:9–18).
The Threshold to Our Welcoming God
Sin remains a caveat to the Lucan theme of welcome and inclusion. It is a barrier by which all people have excluded themselves from fellowship with God and his people. But this barrier is not so much a wall as it is a threshold. In the presentation given by Luke, forgiveness is offered to all in Jesus’ name. It is the basis by which anyone can be welcomed and included. But this forgiveness and welcome is paired with repentance (Lk 24:47). Repentance is the threshold we must cross if we are to respond to that welcome and come to God as sinners forgiven. We are taught in Luke’s Gospel that it is important to repent of our own sin, and not deflect with questions about the sin of others(13:1–5). Like the criminal on the cross, we must recognise that we are justly condemned and to look to Christ for acquittal (23:39–43).
Welcome as Induction to Discipleship
How does this relate to church practice today? Churches have been accused of failing to welcome and include people who have been on the outside of the religious status quo. Sometimes these charges land, and churches must reconsider how they do things in one way or another.
Nevertheless, the welcome we extend in the name of Jesus is one that reaches across a threshold that must be crossed to truly join the community of God’s people. The church is an exclusive community, but one that has open doors. Sinners are certainly welcome, but we are not to stay in our sin. In Luke’s Gospel, stories of transformation model to all of us the proper answer Jesus’ call to discipleship: like Zacchaeus the tax collector (Lk 19:1–10); the unnamed sinful “woman of the city” (7:36–50); the proverbial prodigal son (15:11–32); or the crucified criminal (Luke 23:39–43); we are not to presume or receive forgiveness while remaining in sin.
Chris Northcott 