When the Pharisees grumble about Jesus eating with tax collectors and “sinners,” which implies people they regard as notorious, the gravity of the scene is a bit hard for us to grasp on both ends. The tax collectors were despised because they worked for the hated Romans and the extorted extra money from people who had no defense. The “sinners” were people shunned because of their living outside the Law of Moses.

That was a line “religious” people didn’t cross. But Jesus did. His explanation as to why bears some further discussion because the shepherd’s care for the lost sheep and the woman’s hunt for the lost coin may not hit home with us as it did to first century Palestinian Jews.

Friends of ours had a child suffering from Graves’ disease, a form of hyperthyroidism. His metabolism was too high. He couldn’t gain weight. He was fidgety and nervous much of the time. Everything is going too fast for him. Everything in his body was growing at an accelerated rate. His bones hurt with growing pains. Even his teeth were growing. His medication made him miserable.

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Jesus has a lot of people “traveling with” him. Why? We can only speculate, but our speculation is informed by so many descriptions of encounters Jesus had with people of all sorts that we have a good idea.

Many want to hear his preaching and teaching because he is opening up the Word of God to them in fresh ways that touch their hearts and bring them precious gifts like direction and hope. Those who toil in obscurity or live on the fringes of society who are used to being ignored, dismissed, or neglected. They are used to hearing and experiencing condemnation for their way of life or even their very existence. Jesus is explaining the scriptures such that they are hearing passages that speak directly to them of hope, of calling them back to God, of healing and forgiveness.

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My grandmother used to tell me, “Don’t frown like that too long or your face might get stuck,” and, “If you don’t eat your bread crusts you won’t grow curly hair.” Now, while neither of those is literally true, they hold truth. Going around with a sour face can easily lead to more frowning because people read our facial expressions and react to them. This can be a real problem if you suffer from “resting grumpy face” as I do. And not eating the crust of bread is at least wasteful and sometimes misses the best part.

Our Old Testament reading today is, I think, the shortest one I’ve ever heard. Its wisdom is clear. When you are under authority, don’t push yourself forward, rather let the authority call you forward. That’s not always true in every circumstance, sometimes initiative and assertiveness are good, but it is generally true that self-promotion comes off badly. The leader of the Pharisees should know this proverb and, frankly his guests should have as well. Yet, they clearly miss it.

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