In response to my posting of a couple of days ago about communion, reader Barry Fernelius proposed an alternative test: Whom would Jesus invite for dinner?
I like that. Let me use Barry’s test, with thanks, as a springboard for a test that might be even closer to the mark.
Imagine: Jesus comes to town for a few days. His friend Zonker arranges a dinner party for him at his house; Jesus will be the guest of honor. Zonker has plenty of room and food. He sends invitations to all his friends.
Alice, Bob, Carol, Dave, and Edna ask Zonker if they can come to Jesus’s dinner party too. Zonker responds that he’s sorry, but they can’t attend, because:
- Carol is an avowed atheist; she doesn’t seem likely to be quarrelsome or ill-behaved at the party, but she doesn’t believe in Jesus.
- Dave isn’t known to Zonker; he looks like he might be a homeless person living on the street.
- Edna runs a house of prostitution.
During dinner, Zonker happens to mention to Jesus that he turned down Carol, Dave, and Edna’s requests to come to dinner. Question: What do you think Jesus would say?
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