Friendship holds a very special place in our lives. The knowledge that someone will be there through the best and especially through the worst times brings us comfort and happiness. Friends prove themselves when times get hard. I read a little joke about two men who were hunting in the woods. “Two men were out hunting in the northern U.S. Suddenly one yelled and the other looked up to see a grizzly charging them. The first started to frantically put on his tennis shoes and his friend anxiously asked, "What are you doing? Don’t you know you can’t outrun a grizzly bear?" "I don’t have to outrun a grizzly. I just have to outrun you!"” What a wonderful friend? So willing to sacrifice himself to save his buddy!
Some of us have been able to build these kinds of relationships. I know that I have at least a couple of people that I can absolutely trust with the deepest parts of my life. Sometimes they have no idea what I am even talking about but they will listen and love me no matter the problem or sin I am dealing with. The one thing I don’t often hear when I listen to people speak about Christianity is friendship. Right now, we are considering many different aspects of Jesus’ character and personality. Jesus is called the friend of sinners. Jesus is even called this in Luke 7:34 by the elite religious people of that day. They hated that Jesus Christ would spend his time and days with those of less religiosity than they had. He interacted with many people which may provide evidence of such a truth. Does Jesus really love and care for those of us who are imperfect? Is Jesus really a friend of sinners?
Tax Collectors: Struggling with personal finance (Luke 19)
These men were probably some of the most hated people in Jewish society. The Romans had conquered Israel and completely taken over their governing structure. They were hated severely but still needed to collect taxes and military recruits to continue their conquest and support their rule. So, instead of using their own people, they would get some greedy Jew to volunteer for the job. Beyond the fact that people felt they had been betrayed by the Jew turned Roman, these men only made money by taking it from the people. Many of them turned greedy and would charge two or three times what they were required to collect. They became rich while others lived penniless. They became engrossed in getting more money and living a lavish lifestyle. You’ll find one these stories in Luke 19. This is the story of a man name Zaccheus.
Zaccheus was a wee little man who wanted to get a look at Jesus. He was the tax collector in the area around Jericho on the far western side of Israel. “When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” Examine the attitude of Jesus in comparison to the Pharisees around him. Jesus spoke to Zaccheus with kindness and caring but the Pharisees speak of him negatively and hatefully. Money seems to be one of the most divisive and problematic of mankind’s troubles. Men and women struggled with it 2,000 years ago and still struggle with it each and every day. Some, just like Zaccheus, have an unnatural desire and love of money. “The love of money is the root of all sorts of evils.” Zaccheus definitely fit the bill when it comes to someone who loves money and yet Jesus loves him and treats him kindly.
Prostitutes: Struggling with sexual sins (John 8)
There were more disliked and disdained people in the world of ancient Rome, at least in the province called Judea. Men and women gave themselves to impulsive desires by acting as temple prostitutes. According to the history we have, they would act out sexual orgies as religious rites, especially to fertility gods. They would have their heads shaved among various other markings so that others would know who they were and what they did. Of course, the Pharisees would have absolutely nothing to do with them. They were religious zealots who lived by God’s laws. These women skulked in corners and at the entrances to certain parts of town, hoping to catch the business of travelers and merchants. Many of them had no one to take care of them. Women couldn’t really have jobs back in that male dominant society. So if their male relatives died or dumped them on the street, they had little more than this to do for work.
Jesus encounters at least one such women who had been caught in the very act of adultery by some zealous Jews. They dragged the woman, literally, and threw her in front of Jesus. You see, they had a plan of catching Jesus failing to be a good Jew. He totally ignored them and started writing in the sand. They relentlessly asked Him to make a verdict on the guilt of the woman they had brought before Him. “When they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again He stopped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go and from now on sin no more!” Christ basically said, “I forgive your sins. Don’t go and get into any more.” While everyone else around this young woman was hateful and condescending, Jesus was forgiving and loving. The realm of sexual sin is almost as old as mankind is. This woman may be the extreme case but many people struggle with pornographic addictions. If you even dare watch television, you will encounter graphic images of women and men who are scantily clad. Yet, when you struggle with this you can feel worthless, guilt-ridden, and a complete failure as a human being. Jesus doesn’t treat this woman that way; the way the Pharisees had.
Pharisees: Struggling with pride and tradition (John 3)
I pick on these religious men because they have all the looks of good, religious people but they really weren’t very dedicated to the God they claimed to serve. They were dedicated to their traditions, laws, and customs. Beyond the Old Testament they claimed to devoutly follow, they had over six hundred more laws for the people to follow. Those who couldn’t or didn’t follow their strict regulations were considered inferior and less God-fearing. Most started out earnestly desiring to serve God and yet were sucked up into the web of religious pride and zeal. It became so easy for them because they were revered by others. Their pride swelled as people looked up to them as truly “religious” men. They generally sat back and pointed out people’s sins without lifting a finger to help them.
Jesus had an incredible number of run-ins with these men. They were the religious leaders of the day and saw Jesus as a threat to their leadership positions. They would use every tactic in the book to try and destroy Jesus. The most infamous encounter is that of a man known as Nicodemus. This isn’t a man on the bottom of the totem pole. Not only was Nicodemus a Pharisee but he was a ruling Pharisee. He was part of the elite 70 men who ruled the Jewish people. He comes to Jesus at night, not wanting to get caught talking to Him, and begins questioning Him. This encounter is record in John chapter 3 where the most famous verse in the world is found. Jesus tried his best to explain to this Pharisee what the man could not see. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.” I would call this “busted!” Jesus may not seem all lovey dovey here but there is something called tough love. This means correcting someone even if it hurts. These men and women were God’s religious leaders. They were supposed to show the world who God is and yet they were busy worrying about petty laws they had made up. He loves and cares for these men even though they were spiritually stagnant. They would be like people today sitting in church on Sunday for years and never telling others about the love of Christ.
A Fool: Struggling with meaning and purpose in life
There could be an endless number of examples to give in the discussion of whether Jesus really was a friend to the down and out crowd, the in crowd, and all other humans who have sinned. Those who struggle with money, sexual sins, pride and tradition are just a small cross-section of the people who Jesus encountered. He also occasionally encountered a man who made a horrible, and irreparable mistake. Judas Iscariot was a part of the twelve men who followed, studied, and believed in Jesus Christ. Judas was caught pilfering the money box he was entrusted with during his stay with Jesus. He seemed to struggle with the truth he had encountered. We know that Judas accepted 30 pieces of silver in exchange for betraying Jesus. He would lead a group of solders with torches and weapons and have them arrest Jesus in the middle of the night.
He wouldn’t realize until a little later that he had made grave mistake, one which could never be changed. Instead of repenting, he decided his only way out was to kill himself.
I call this man a fool because he refused to believe there could be forgiveness. He refused to try to change the situation. He took the easy way out because he had made a very grave error. Let’s be super honest here. Some of you have also made grave errors in your life. Some have cheated on a spouse. Some have destroyed another person by their horrible words. Some of you have terribly hurt your children by your mean, hateful, and selfish actions. Some of you have made grave errors that cannot be taken back. Yet, when Judas was beating himself up on the inside, no where do we read that Jesus hated him, wanted him dead, or wouldn’t take him back. Peter denied Christ ever existed and yet God took him back anyway. I cannot find anywhere in my bible where Jesus wanted to destroy Judas.
You see I find a very unique consensus in every single person Jesus interacted with while he lived on this earth. No matter how many times you analyze the way Jesus treated people you will find three consistent patterns; 1) he always loved them, 2) he always tried to help them, and 3) he always led them to repentance and change.
Look at every single example given, read through the gospels, and check how hard Jesus tries to show people the right way. No matter who they were and no matter what circumstance they were in Jesus loved them. How could he have possibly given his life for them if he didn’t love them? He loved the religious elite just as much as the greedy tax-collector. He loved the sinning woman just as much as the fool who made a grave mistake. His reactions never spoke of surprise, elitism, snottyness, or any other derogatory reaction he could have given. He really loved every one equally. He loves everyone who sins equally.
His goal was always to help them grow and understand. Time and time again he reaches out to people trying to help them. He healed the sick day and night. He almost never got a chance to rest because he was always available to the people who needed Him most. He protected the sinful woman from the mob that had abducted her. He helped the tax-collector realize the error of his way. He befriended him when no one else would. He tried to help the Pharisee understand the true purpose he was to serve in God’s kingdom. He taught his own betrayer, knowing it would happen anyway.
Lastly, he never left them in the same state in which they came to Him. He always called them to turn away from their sins and change their lives. Their sins were the center for all their troubles. The sinful woman was commanded by Jesus to stop practicing her trade. The Pharisee was reprimanded for calling himself a teacher and yet not understanding the truth about God. The fool had chosen to commit an error which would forever place his name beside betrayer in the dictionary. He ended his life instead of admitting his sin. The tax-collector was even prepared to make amends with the people he had swindled and give back their money.
This is my conclusion: Not only is Jesus a man who loved people, he changed them forever. This hasn’t changed even after 2,000 years. He still loves every single person in His creation and wants to change their lives forever. Jesus really is a friend of sinners, no matter what the sin. He really did love people in Bible times and he really does love you and me right now. Jesus can be your friend! He can be your confidant, your trusted companion, your best friend! He loves you no matter what circumstance you have encountered or what sinful life you lead. He loves you so much that he gave his life to erase the failures in yours.
