The Tax Man
What comes to mind when you hear the word “church”?
Do you picture a happy place or a somber gathering? Do you see steeples and stained glass or modern architecture? Maybe you think of classic hymns sung by a choir or you hear eclectic guitars and drums. Churches can look, sound, and feel very different whether you’re comparing them from around the world or even from different places in the same town. We love our habits and traditions and personal style. Sometimes we even let them define who we are.
But what does Jesus see when he looks at the people who make up the church? The answer to that might be found in an encounter that Jesus had with a certain tax collector.