"Jesus, what a friend of sinners..."
I've sung that line from the old hymn many, many times, but I reflected on it a little differently after I read chapter 8 of "The Jesus I Never Knew." Here Yancey reflects on the grace that exuded from Jesus in his interactions with others, grace that caused "notorious sinners" to be attracted to him. If you look back over the gospels, you'll see that Jesus really did keep some interesting company. His disciples were a fairly rough bunch themselves--this inner circle contained a man who had betrayed his own people (Levi, a.k.a. Matthew the tax collector) and a man who had perhaps committed murder (Simon the Zealot, member of a political terrorist organization). Yet these were the people Jesus called, and throughout his life he had a way of attracting prostitutes and other "notorious sinners."
On one hand, this all makes a lot sense--these people perhaps realized more than anyone that they needed grace and forgiveness, and they knew Jesus had it. But on the other hand, it doesn't make sense. Jesus was sinless and holy, and these individuals were wallowing in sin. Yet they perceived Jesus to be approachable, and they were right. He was holy and welcoming, perfect and friendly.
I've come to realize that Jesus modeled a balance in this area that seems to constantly elude me. I find myself falling toward one extreme or the other, or simply vacillating between the two in an almost schizophrenic fashion. But Jesus never wavered--he constantly upheld the righteous standard of God, but did so in a fashion that didn't drive away those who knew they had blown it. This is a strong challenge for me as a teacher of God's Word, and its a strong challenge for all who claim to be followers of Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment