Journey With Jesus: 31 Days Devotion From the Gospel of MarkSýnishorn

Jesus and sinners

All of us have a past. We may have been selfish and hurt others along the way. We may have done things we are not proud of. We may regret some terrible wrongs. We may have deep and dark secrets that we wonder about and even fear how people would react if they knew what we were hiding. Would they still accept and love us? For some of us, our past is a chokehold making us breathless with insecurity and anxiety.

Let us come to Jesus. He demonstrates God’s love for us who have sinned against God in one way or another. His mercy destroys the stranglehold of sin over us.

During His time on earth, Jesus ate with tax collectors, who were widely despised because of their profession. There were also “sinners” at the dinner table who were shunned by society (v15-16). Jesus reached out to them and offered forgiveness. Jesus’ ministry is about bringing forgiveness, healing, and restoration to people.

Does this mean that Jesus doesn’t care whether we sin or not? Absolutely not! In fact, He cares greatly about sin’s impact on us. He taught passionately against sin (Mark 9:42-49)and commanded His followers to be devoted to the Holy God (Mark 12:28-33). Near the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus would also give His life to cleanse us of our sins. By dying on the cross, He sacrificed His life to take away our sins. He provided a way for us to live freely from the control of sin.

When we confront our sins, we may feel overwhelmed by guilt and hurt by harsh judgment from others. But Jesus graciously forgives us. He wants us to recognise our sins and realise our need for forgiveness.

Pray and ask God to forgive you of your sins. Repent of your sins today. Repentance means turning away from your wrongdoings and walking towards a right life with God. Make repentance a regular activity in your life so that you never forget how much you need God’s mercy.

After you have repented, stop dwelling on your past. Jesus has forgiven you. Move on with a deep gratitude to God and a joyful determination to do what’s right in His eyes!