Associated With Jesus

When Jesus Looks for Associates

Scott Uselman opened with a story from his own childhood, describing the experience of being excluded because of circumstances beyond his control. He shared the pain of being the kid nobody wanted to associate with, because adults were afraid or ashamed. This personal background set the tone for a message about association, belonging, and the cost of following Jesus.

"...when I was a kid except my house was a little different than the other houses because the police were at my house on a regular basis or uh my dad was doing things that he shouldn't be doing and um I you know you know he was very abusive all these types of things that were taking place and it was it was a lot of there was a lot of terror in our house..."

From this honest starting point, he connected our instinct to draw boundaries and avoid associating with discomfort or shame with the very way Jesus challenges such boundaries. In church, schools, workplaces, people weigh out who to stand beside. Scott remembered how coming to faith and becoming more open about Jesus at work cost him old relationships and changed his standing with others.

"The problem happened is when Jesus came into my life... I can't stop talking about Jesus Christ... I'm just thinking, 'Oh my goodness.' And this guy just keeps praying, right? So, I'm just like, 'Oh my goodness, wrap it up, bro. Wrap it up.'...I knew right then we were no longer going to be the same with each other. I knew right then I wasn't going to be on the boat with him. I knew right then I wasn't going to be his favorite worker...it was because I was associating myself with Jesus."

The Pattern in Luke: Who Jesus Chooses

Scott steered the attention to Luke 5:17-39. He retold the story of Jesus calling Levi, a tax collector, one of society’s most despised figures. Unlike the Pharisees and religious leaders, who kept their distance and preserved their own status, Jesus saw Levi as a person worthy of an invitation.

"But there was something that Jesus saw that he liked about Levi. And Jesus said, 'Follow me.'"

He walked through the dynamics at Levi’s banquet, where tax collectors, other outsiders, and disciples mixed, but the Pharisees looked on asking, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Scott reminded us how prideful religion and society regularly ignore or shame those on the outside, while Jesus deliberately associated with them.

"The rest of everybody is looking at Levi and they're saying, 'This guy's no good.'... But Jesus is different than everybody, especially the religious people who are wanting to disassociate themselves... They don't want anything to do with this man because in their pride and arrogance, they think that they are actually ceremonially clean to come into God's presence."

Scott reflected how our churches can repeat these patterns, preferring comfortable association over following Jesus into unlikely places. If we are not willing to go where Jesus goes, Scott challenged, "Jesus isn't with us."

Shame, Association, and the Test of Discipleship

Scott named the reality that being associated with Jesus may make us unpopular, even objects of ridicule or shame. This holds true inside and outside the church. He spoke to his own doubts about carrying Jesus’ name at work, the cost of losing standing, comfort, and approval. But Jesus not only stands with sinners; he stands with those who are willing to be identified with him, whatever it costs.

"You're going to be shamed by those who act like they are the important people in society, maybe even in the church... They're going to say, 'Well, you must not be doing it right because you're ceremonially unclean.' They're going to judge you. People who have pride and arrogance in them will judge you. That's what they do. So, they're going to try to shame you so that you won't want to be associated with Jesus Christ."

He pressed on the example of the disciples, who left everything to follow Jesus, and now found themselves the subject of religious criticism. Scott suggested that this moment, for the disciples and us, is a crossroads: step back for the sake of respectability, or keep walking forward with Jesus, even when isolation or misunderstanding follows.

"That was the moment when I felt very embarrassed and my boss looked at me and made fun of me for praying. That was the moment I said to myself, I'm going to continue on with Jesus. I am not turning back. I've crossed the line now. Here it is. This is who I am now."

New Wineskins: Becoming Vessels for Something New

The sermon closed with Jesus’ parable about new wine and new wineskins, beginning in Luke 5:36. Scott explained that Jesus was preparing his disciples for a new way of living, a new kind of association that would not fit with the patterns of religious pride or business-as-usual. This, he said, is not a popular path.

"Jesus is going to pour the spirit into those people. And what's going to happen is that these are the people that are going to go right out into the world and they're going to find themselves with the people that most Christians do not want to be around... And these new wine skins aren't going to be popular because the old wine skins, the people who like business as usual, they're going to say that they like their way better."

Scott reminded us that the job of associating with Jesus does not fall to pastors alone. All who follow Jesus are called to be new wineskins, open to being filled and sent out toward those the world ignores or pushes away. This mission involves humility, risk, and willingness to trade comfort and popularity for faithfulness to Jesus.

"If you're a disciple of Jesus Christ, this is your mission. This is your new way of life. The church today is told just believe. Don't do anything because that's works righteousness. Just believe in Jesus and that will be enough. And Jesus is going to be so grateful for you. If that isn't pharisaic talk, I don't know what is."

He closed with an invitation: examine your heart, are you willing to be a vessel, a new wineskin, even if it costs you standing or approval?

Living It Out

This week, let’s remember that to be associated with Jesus is not a position of status, but one of humility, risk, and willingness to walk with people others may overlook. Let’s ask God to make us new wineskins, ready to be filled and poured out for the sake of those on the outside.

Discussion Questions

1. When have you felt left out or avoided because of associating with Jesus, or seen someone else go through that?
2. What practical steps can our church family take to make space for those who usually get overlooked or ignored?
3. Where are you being called to be a new wineskin, open to God’s new work, even if it makes you less comfortable or less popular?