June 13

EATING WITH SINNERS

-Do you hang around sinners? Do you hang around notorious sinners? I SURE HOPE SO! Matthew 9: 10-13 states, … And while He was reclining at table, a large number of tax-gatherers and notorious sinners were of the party with Jesus and His disciples. The Pharisees noticed this, and they inquired of His disciples, Why does your teacher eat with the tax-gatherers and notorious sinners? He heard the question and replied, It is not men in good health who require a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means, it is mercy that I desire, not sacrifice; for I did not come to appeal to the righteous, but to sinners ( The New Testament In Modern Speech ) …

-Why did Jesus eat with sinners? Why did He not come to appeal to the righteous? WHO ELSE COULD HE POSSIBLY EAT WITH? WHO ELSE COULD HE SPEND HIS TIME WITH? WE ARE ALL SINNERS! THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE!!! For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ( Romans 3:23 ) …

-We are all sinners and unrighteous before our Father. There is not one person ( other than the man Christ Jesus ) who can say that they are holy and righteous in and of themselves. Many think that after they become a Christian that they are righteous in and of themselves, but this is still not the case. It is the LORD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS that has been imputed to us based upon faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

-With this in mind, we can now understand why that Jesus ate with notorious sinners, and why He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners unto repentance. HE HAD NO ONE ELSE TO EAT WITH OR SPEND HIS TIME WITH, FOR WE ARE ALL SINNERS AND UNRIGHTEOUS OUTSIDE OF GOD! If Jesus did not fellowship with sinners there would have been no one for Him to fellowship with.

-Now you know it is alright to hang out with sinners. This is who Jesus came for. He came for us all. The Pharisees were so blind that they could not fathom that they too were sinners. Let us strive to be like our Savior in spending time with notorious sinners. We have nothing to be ashamed of in doing this. The purpose for this type of fellowship is to demonstrate the love of God to the very people that He came to save. Jesus did not come to call the righteous, …

-BUT SINNERS ( ALL PEOPLE ) TO REPENTANCE!-