Jesus, Friend of Sinners

~Luke 15:1-2, NIV

Jesus loves sinners. In the human race, who else in there to love?

~Ya’akov

Jesus does not condone sin, not your sin nor mine. The liberal idea that Jesus is dripping with undiscerning love is a myth. Jesus is God and our God is a consuming fire. All sin must be dealt with in proper fashion. We either give our sin to Jesus in repentance and faith or we stand before God without an advocate. Jesus spent time with people that the religious establishment labeled sinners. The Pharisees were sinners too but they did not recognize their sins, only the sins of others. The JRE {Jewish Religious Establishment} saw two kinds of people: Jews and Gentiles. Then within the Jewish Community there were the ‘righteous’ and the ‘sinners.’ Jesus spent so much time with sinners {the devil’s crowd}, the JRE wrongly assumed He was of the devil Himself. They were wrong on two counts: [1] All men are sinners and that includes orthodox Jews [2] and Jesus was not compromised by the company He kept. Jesus was the LIGHT and light can touch impurity without becoming impure itself. The sunlight can shine on a dead carcass lying in a stream of water. The water becomes impure from contacting the carcass but not the light. You cannot contaminate light and Jesus is LIGHT.

Jesus loved sinners but He did not love sin. Jesus hated sin, all sin. He hated sin so much, He gave His life to defeat it, to judge it, to put it in its proper place which is hell. Whether it is taking the life of an innocent unborn child or living a hypocritical life; He hates all sin and He wants us to share that hatred. Sin is something we should be ashamed of, not something to flaunt or boast about. What if I said, “I am a glutton and proud,” or “I am a liar and proud,” would you be impressed? Certainly not: we cannot be proud of sin. Those who are proud of their sin are unrepentant and they do not share Jesus view of sin. Sin is destructive. It is hurtful and harmful. There is nothing good about sin. Jesus didn’t come to judge us for our sins, he came to save us from its destructive power.

More than 30 years ago a mother asked me to visit her son is a nearby city. She told me that he was an alcoholic. I knocked on his door and he invited me in. He was drinking a beer. I told him who I was and he said, “I bet Mother sent you, didn’t she?” I said, “Yes, she did.” He said, “I guess you are going to condemn me for drinking beer.” I said, “No, I am not here to condemn you for drinking beer. Jesus didn’t come to condemn you for drinking. He didn’t come to condemn you for your sin, He came to save you from it.” I pointed to his beer and said, “If you keep drinking that, it will destroy you. Jesus wants to save you from its destruction.” He laughed it off but it was the gospel truth. He didn’t stop drinking and it destroyed him. I don’t laugh at the destructive power of drugs and alcohol is a drug.