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The Guest of Sinners

Jesus was a guest of sinners. He horrified his contemporaries by the way that he loved. Not only did Jesus not avoid sinners, but he sought them out, and he enjoyed their company! And when the people complained about Jesus that, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner” (Luke 19:7, NIV). Jesus replied, “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (verse 10).

It’s almost as if Jesus shrugged his shoulders and said, “Guilty as charged! It’s what I do.”

Too often the only sinners Christians are happy to associate with are those who supposedly aren’t sinning anymore. But this is what the Gospel is all about. There’s no other hope for us than a Savior who comes to be a guest of sinners. And if that’s how Jesus operates, isn’t it time we did the same?

There are no better sinners, only different sinners; but thank God there are also forgiven sinners. The Son of God didn’t wait for sinners to stop being sinners before he loved them. He didn’t wait for them to be reformed before he came. John 1:14 says that, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (NKJV). This should challenge those of us who live comfortable Christian lives.

Can you think of someone who is in trouble right now, to whom you can reach out with a kind word or action? Not to “convert” them or to help them “change their ways,” but simply to be with them in kindness and love. Pray about it, and then work out how you can go and be the guest of a sinner.
 

By Dr. Eliezer Gonzalez