Contagious Holiness: Jesus’ Meals with Sinners

Summary

This book examines the motif of meals in the ministry of Jesus, particularly His table fellowship with those regarded as sinners and outsiders. Blomberg traces how meals function in the Gospels as signs of the kingdom, occasions of controversy, and settings for teaching, and he connects these scenes to wider biblical themes of fellowship, purity, mercy, and eschatological hope. The aim is not to romanticise inclusion, but to show how Jesus brings a holiness that moves outward without being compromised, calling people to repentance while extending welcome. The writing is accessible, with careful attention to key narratives and to the social and religious meanings of meals in the first century. For preachers, the book helps you handle familiar Gospel scenes with sharper theological awareness and with better pastoral balance.

Strengths

The greatest strength is its pastoral usefulness. Many churches either soften the sharpness of Jesus’ call to repentance or harden it into a posture that forgets mercy. This study helps you hold both together, Jesus welcomes real sinners, yet His welcome is never permission to remain unchanged. The focus on meals also supplies fresh angles on passages that can become over familiar, and it gives a framework for connecting Gospel narrative to wider biblical theology without forcing it. There is a clear concern for how the church should reflect the character of Christ, welcoming the needy, practising holiness, and bearing witness through ordinary hospitality. The book also helps you preach the gospel as the announcement of the kingdom that brings cleansing and fellowship, not as mere moral reform.

Limitations

The book is necessarily selective. Some meal scenes receive more attention than others, and readers who want an exhaustive treatment of every related passage may find the coverage uneven. Because the style is mid level, it sometimes summarises scholarly debates rather than fully arguing them, which is often appropriate for the intended audience but may leave advanced readers wanting more. There is also the risk that readers will treat the theme as a programme for church strategy, rather than first hearing it as revelation about Christ and His kingdom. The strongest use is theological and pastoral, not managerial. You will still need to ground your applications in the specific text you are preaching, since the theme alone does not determine every pastoral conclusion.

How We Would Use It

We would use this when preaching through Luke, Mark, or Matthew, and especially when preparing sermons on meals, banquets, and table controversies. It is also useful for teaching on hospitality, church community, and evangelistic warmth without compromise. Because it is readable, it can be used in small groups of leaders or in a ministry team that is thinking about how to engage those outside the church. In sermon preparation it functions well as a second stage resource, after you have done your own exegesis, it helps you connect the passage to broader biblical theology and to the mission and holiness of the church. The insights are also well suited to shaping applications around the Lords Table, fellowship, and the posture of the church towards the lost.

Closing Recommendation

This is a lively and helpful study that will sharpen your preaching on the Gospels and strengthen your pastoral instincts. If you want a biblical theology that supports gracious outreach and serious holiness, it is an excellent tool to have on hand.