The document summarizes Jesus' view of tax collectors compared to how they were viewed by others in his time. While tax collectors were hated as traitors who extorted money from the people, Jesus saw beyond their sins to their souls worth saving. He welcomed tax collectors into his company and reached out to them, showing them God's mercy. His interactions with tax collectors like Zacchaeus led some to repent and follow him.

1. 4
Hugh
Vol. 44 April 9, 2019 Number 13
Do I See What Jesus Sees?
By Paul Meacham, Jr.
In Paul Lee Tan’s book of illustrations, a tax collector is described thus: In
Jesus’ time, “tax collectors” appeared high on everyone’s “most hated” list. The
Jews were an oppressed people, living under the Roman military occupation. They
regarded their assessments more as forced tribute to the Emperor than as funds
collected to defray expenses for governmental services. The despised tax collectors
were those Jews who had brought their offices from the Roman Authority.
The Roman oppressors simply assessed the tax collector a fixed amount for
his territory. He, in turn, had the job of raising the money--with enough left over to
make it a profitable business for himself. This was, in effect, a license to practice
greed and injustice. The more taxes collected, the higher the tax collector’s profits.
Gangster methods of collection were not uncommon. For these reasons, a tax
collector was regarded not only as an extortionist but as a traitorous person who
had “sold out” to the Roman oppressor.
When the world looked at a tax collector, they saw a greedy, dishonest
traitor. That can be seen in the accusations the Jews brought against Jesus. The
Pharisees wanted to know why Jesus would even eat with publicans (tax collectors)
and sinners (Matt. 9:11). Jesus knew that He was being labeled as a man who was
“gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners” (Matt 11:19). So
why did Jesus keep company with these hated elements of society? He saw
something in them that others did not see. Jesus saw beyond that which others
hated to something He loved. Jesus saw a soul worth more than the whole world
(Matt. 16:26). Therefore, “he said unto them, they that be whole need not a
physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have
mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance” (Matt. 9:12-13). Jesus knew that these kinds of people were the very
ones His Father had sent Him to earth to seek out and save (Luke 19:10). Jesus saw
not only what they were but what they could be.
Was Jesus successful in reaching this seedy, dishonest element of Jewish
society? Yes! One of Jesus’ most famous one-on-one encounters recorded for us
was with a man named Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a tax collector and had the
reputation among the people of being a sinner (Luke 19:7). Jesus, however, went to
--article continued page 2--
ELDERS
Mike Childers..............397-6453
Dennis Hallmark .........255-5557
Mark Hitt.....................322-0917
Bobby Lindley.............260-9193
DEACONS
Wade Bryan.................419-5552
William Harris.............416-8149
Ricky Lindsey .............255-8136
Jeff Mansel..................871-0357
Jimmy Spearman.........840-8957
Michael Wilson ...........891-0891
PREACHER
Barry Kennedy ... (931)787-7108
SECRETARY
Renee Childers
Office...........................842-6116
Fax...............................842-7091
E-MAIL
eastmaincoc38804@gmail.com
WEB PAGE
eastmaincoc.com
SUNDAY SERVICES
Worship....................... 9:00 a.m.
Bible Classes............. 10:15 a.m.
Worship..................... 11:15 a.m.
Singing or Devotional
Last Sunday of the Month
MID-WEEK
SERVICES
Wednesday Classes .....7:00 p.m.
EAST MAIN CHURCH OF CHRIST
1606 East Main Street
P. O. Box 1761
Tupelo, Mississippi 38802
“Thou shalt observe to do all that they inform thee”
(Deut. 17:10)

2. --article continued from page 1--
him anyway. He even went into Zacchaeus’ house
leaving the “more worthy” self-righteous behind.
The product of this encounter was that salvation
came to the house of Zacchaeus that day (Luke
19:9), and he was not the only tax collector to be
saved through the teaching of Jesus. Luke tells us
that “all the people that heard him, and the
publicans, justified God, being baptized with the
baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers
rejected the counsel of God against themselves,
being not baptized of him” (Luke 7:29-30). As it
turned out, many of the publicans were in that elite
group of “common people” who heard the Lord
gladly (Mark 12:37).
How did Jesus gain an audience with such a
group? Maybe it was because He did not consider
them beyond saving. Maybe it was because He did
not paint all of them with the same brush. In part it
was because he chose from their number a righteous
man to be one of His twelve apostles. “And after
these things he went forth, and saw a publican,
named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he
said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up,
and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast
in his own house: and there was a great company of
publicans and of others that sat down with them”
(Luke 5:27-29). Maybe it was because Jesus knew
that they were no different than any other group.
They were sinners and needed a savior, and He was
their only hope. Please, dear Father, help me to be
like my Lord and see and love others the way He
sees and loves them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our Ladies’ Day
Our ladies’ day here at
East Main has been scheduled
for Saturday, April 27 with
Jane Washington speaking on
the theme “Walking with the
Lord.” Registration begins at 9:00 a.m.
Sympathy
Our sympathy is extended to Brenda Lindley in
the loss of her brother, Esker Lowder, on Apr. 6
Funeral services will be held Apr. 9 at Pickles
Funeral Home in Amory at 2:00 p.m. Visitation will
begin at 12:30 p.m. the same day.
We also extend condolences to Crafton Laney in
the loss of his step-mother, Jody Laney, on Apr. 6.
Graveside services were held on Apr. 7.
Ladies’ Fellowship
The monthly
ladies’ fellowship will
be held this Thursday,
Apr. 11 at 6:00 p.m.
in the multipurpose
room. Please bring a
finger food or drink if you can.
Sr. & Jr. Youth Activity
The Senior and Junior
youth are invited to Skate
Zone in Tupelo this
Sunday, Apr. 14 from
5:30-7:30 p.m. hosted by
the DuBoises & the
Dickinsons. The cost to skate will be covered but
you may want to bring money for concessions.
New Ladies’ Bathroom
A new ladies’ bathroom will soon be under
construction in the old 2 & 3-year-old classroom with
seven stalls. The original bathrooms will remain the
same until construction is finished. Then, plans are
for the men to occupy the two original bathrooms.
We hope this will alleviate congestion between
worship times on Sunday.
Community Outreach Item
for March:
Washing powders or liquid
John Duke is stationed in Long Beach, MS.
Caleb Williams is stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC.
Dylan Kelly, Steve Kelly’s grandson, is in Kuwait.

3. Daily Bible Reading
April 10...................................................2 Kings 4-8 2 Samuel 11-12
April 11.................................................2 Kings 9-12
April 12...............................................2 Kings 13-17
April 13...............................................2 Kings 18-21
April 14...............................................2 Kings 22-25
April 15...........................................1 Chronicles 1-4
April 16...........................................1 Chronicles 5-9
Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Birthdays: Larry Bates (Apr. 11), Scott
Childers (Apr. 12), Linda Hand (Apr. 14),
Mike Cross (Apr. 16), Dennis Hallmark
(Apr. 16), Hannon Ray (Apr. 16).
Anniversaries: Russell & Norma Deaton (Apr. 10),
Sky & Jennifer Ray (Apr. 14).
*Accidentally left off last week was Kylee Steward
(Apr. 7).
Our Sick
Nancy Haywood is in room 273 at NMMC.
Bobby Goff, Patsy Nichols’ brother, is in room 289
at NMMC. Sarah Grubbs, Mark Hitt & Lori
Sheffield’s grandmother, is in room 6628 at
NMMC. Jean Mounce & Steve Kelly are home
recuperating from surgery. Billie McNutt’s sister,
Mary Starz is home from the hospital. Jill Rice,
Debbie Vines’ mother, continues at the Sanctuary
Hospice House. Casey Gullet & Hattie Sheffield are
home with strep.
On-Going Illnesses
Laverne Raper, Frankie Estes, Donny Dulaney,
Adam McCurley, Linda McCurley, Mary Jordan,
Bretta Robinson, James Goddard, Bill Goff,
Tommy Goff, James Nichols, Sheba Tuggers,
Sherry Gregory, Shirley Owens, Nathan Hale,
Leroy Brown, Jadon Parish, Carol Nichols, Jerry
Smith, Mitch Maclean, Lee Graham, Weston
Agnew, Randy Groover
Nursing Homes/Assisted
Living
Randy Attaway, Shirley McCarthy, Mary
Southern, Veona Harris
New Directories
Our new church
directories are ready and on
the table in the foyer. You
may pick one up at your
convenience! Please only
take one per family and sign
the list on the table.
Jr. Youth & Early
Seekers’ Egg Hunt
The Jr. Youth & Early
Seekers are invited to an egg
hunt and other activities on
Saturday, Apr. 20 from 9:00
a.m. until 12 noon in the
multipurpose room. Please
bring a dozen plastic, candy
filled eggs and a basket. Also,
parents, a food list is posted beside the tract rack in
the foyer for breakfast items.
Gospel Meeting
The Hamilton congregation in
Hamilton, AL will host a Gospel
Meeting April 14-17 with Chad
Ramsey speaking on the
“Hallmarks of the Church” at 7:00
p.m. Sunday through Wednesday.
Mark Your Calendar
East Main’s VBS
June 2-5

4. Go Into All the World
“IN CHRIST ALONE...”
June 7th-8th
Please register at eastmaincoc.com ASAP!
Speakers: Eric Owens, Joe Wells, Jonathan Bates & Harrison Moran
This camp is for ages 13-22 and is being hosted by the East Main Church of Christ, 1606 East
Main St., Tupelo, MS 38804. Please see Josh or Barry Kennedy for more information.
Men to Serve Sunday, Apr. 14, 2019 a.m.
Announcements................................Michael Wilson
Bible Reading....................................Chase Stanford
Opening Prayer ...........................Bobby Joe Lindley
Lord’s Supper
Roger Sanderson & Terry Kingsley
Serve Congregation, East Side:
Will Davis, Joe Minor, Robert Parker
Serve Congregation, West Side:
Jimmy Spearman, Larry Long, Greg Lyle
Lead Singing..............................................Mark Hitt
Closing Prayer................................... Stuart Childers
Ushers ............Chad Willis & John Levi Pennington
Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m.
Sunday Afternoon
Opening Prayer ............................ Rommie Dilworth
Closing Prayer....................................Ricky Johnson
Lead Singing......................................Hugh Scribner
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Prayer ......................................................Jeff Mansel
Lead Singing........................................ Greg Hughes
Contact Ricky Lindsey (255-8136) if unable to serve.
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Greeters .................................Jeff & Natalie Mansel
.......................................Larry & Judy Bates
Prepare Lord’s Supper—April..........................Mark
& Carrie Hitt
Nursery........................Susan Willis & Kristie Webb
Pantry......................................... Macaroni & cheese
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 4-3-19................................................154
Sunday 1st
Worship, 4-7-19 .................................189
Sunday Bible Class ..............................................184
Sunday 2nd
Worship.............................................184
Contribution (budget $7,900)..........................$7,055