Mark 2:16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

I so much want to answer the scribes and the Pharisees here.

Here is a man of God who has no home, no house he can call his own. These who have nothing give everything they have to sit with him and share. You who have everything have offered him nothing.

The sitting is fellowship, to come to know each other, to open up and reveal yourself. Jesus had nothing to offer except himself. Those who had nothing were eager to receive Jesus.

Those who had much had a heart to keep all they had and gain more. Jesus had nothing to offer them in their eyes. To sit with Jesus would have meant to expose themselves to the righteousness of God and they possessed their own righteousness and were not willing to part with any of it.

Matthew 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

The scribes and Pharisees give only with the intent to build their own reputation and image.

All the sinners and publicans had to offer where their sins, and Jesus took them gladly.

Jesus would have taken the sins of the scribes and Pharisees also, but they chose not to sit with Him.

They were not willing to give up their sins.

Jesus begs, come sit, give me your all.

Will you sit?

Hebrews 11:39-40 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Chapter 11 of Hebrews is that faith chapter. Listed therein is a long line of men and women who displayed faith. Referenced were many others whose examples were only hinted at in order to keep that epistle shorter than the Old Testament itself. Great men and women of faith who by all rights can declare mightier works by faith than I can, for sure. Yet they received not THE promise. I emphasize THE because there are many promises of God but THE promise here referred to is only one and that being the greatest.

So how does this reflect on clouds? Having read Hebrews, do you not know what follows?

Hebrews 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Rain is not provided without clouds. This great cloud of witness that encompass us round about are the vehicle of that rain. Their faith is a sign of the promise of rain. We who live in the better thing God has provided cannot flow as rivers of living waters without that rain. Whereas we do not see the Son in these times, it is the Son who is seated above who has caused those clouds to grow to so great a height that they can no longer withhold the rain.

While they could not be perfect without us, neither can we be perfected without them.