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 Only Jesus- Friend of Sinners 

Jesus was a friend to everyone most of all to those whom society had labelled, sidelined and blacklisted. It’s almost like He sought them out singularly to get to know them. He did this most often by inviting Himself to their homes or to the places they frequented and having a meal with them or just spending time speaking with them. Jesus didn’t mingle with only the like-minded or those who were safe to be seen with Him. He constantly colored outside the lines in terms of who he connected with. He was there for the quintessential Friend of Sinners. In three different encounters that we see in today’s passages we see Jesus in his element- passionately loving and drawing the most distant and seemingly unlovable into his embrace. The sweet irony is that every one of us is a sinner as we see in Romans 3:23 and so all of us can be recipients of friendship with Christ without exception. 

When He met the woman caught in adultery His response was incredibly unique. He didn’t question the woman instead he turned the focus onto the accusers by saying “He who is without sin let him throw the first stone.” He then gave them time to allow the message to sink in before He looked up at the woman, now standing alone, and then He says the single most life changing remark. “ Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more”. Isn’t it amazing how graciously convicting Jesus is not just of the woman but of her accusers too. Only Jesus could have possibly had the moral standing to convict all of them and yet He didn’t do that. Only Jesus could convict someone so effortlessly and so gently.

In John 9, Jesus heals a man born blind and after the healing the Jews decided to interrogate the man and his parents because they believed that the man’s blindness was because of sin in his or his parents’ lives. They didn’t believe that a “sinner” would be heard by God. Jesus corrects the wrong idea even held by His own followers by saying that this was not as a result of sin but so that God’s glory would be revealed in his life. What a perspective shift the disciples must have had that day. It should be a perspective change for us too in how we view others’ struggles and failures. In not knowing a person’s story or background we must avoid harsh judgements. Jesus showed the blind man generous compassion in spite of knowing what the after effects would be. 

In Luke 19, Jesus enters the city of Jericho and looks up into a sycamore tree and calls out to a short, tax collector by name and invites himself to his house. That evening, Zacchaeus while hosting Jesus stood up amongst those present and promises to repay 4 times over what he extorted from people. Jesus hadn’t said anything to him that we know of to yield this kind of heart change. All we know is that Jesus took notice of a small made man who was watching Him curiously from the branches of a tree and entered his home to build relationship with him. It was this genuine interest that Jesus took in him that brought Zacchaeus to his knees in repentance. 

Today, think of how you can better love someone without judgement, show genuine compassion and take time to get to know someone who you just met. You just may be the face of JESUS to them.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we pray that You will help us to be a friend of sinners, sinners just like us. I pray that You will help us to be the face of Jesus to who ever crosses our path. We love you and we thank you. In Jesus name, Amen.