Sunday, March 14
Jesus Is a Friend of Sinners
By Pastor Ed Hedding
The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say,"Look, a glutton
and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" Luke 7:34
It is interesting how one perceives the description of Jesus in the verse above. On the one hand, Jesus, who was the very Son of God and possessed holiness and who knew no sin, was spending a good amount of time on earth with those who were tax cheats, prostitutes, swindlers, gluttons, drunkards, and downright sinners. The religious leaders of the day viewed Jesus with disdain. With this statement, they were making a derogatory comment about Jesus’ lifestyle.
On the other hand, Jesus wore this description about Himself as a badge of honor. In another passage, Jesus said that He came to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10), and that He came, as it says in Matthew 9:13, to call the sinners, not the righteous, to repentance. Jesus knew where the real needs were and who was most receptive to His message of salvation and transformation.
As Christians, do we spend time looking for relationships with those who are lonely and in great need? It takes time and moving beyond our normal routines to reach out in love. It can get messy at times--just ask the Good Samaritan--but Jesus wants us to emulate Him by going to those who have the greatest need to share the greatest love and see the power of God’s grace transform a life.
Who can you be a friend to that others seem to walk right by and not notice? How can you be Jesus to someone today?
Father, give me Your eyes when I see people today. Help me to be a friend of someone who is walking away from You, whether a Christian or not. Let me be Jesus to him today by being a friend who will listen and walk with him to the Savior, if possible. Allow me the opportunity to share Your truth with him today. Thank You that I can be a friend of sinners just like Jesus. Thank You that You were a friend to me when I was lost and separated from You.
No comments:
Post a Comment