Associating With Sinners: Lost Sheep

[hldude]

“Associating With Sinners: Lost Sheep”
By Zach Wood
Luke 15:1-2 NLT
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

One of the things I most admire about Jesus was His ability to associate with the people who would be considered lowest on the totem pole. Jesus was never into a popularity contest. He did not spend time with people who only looked a certain way, smelled a certain way or dressed a certain way.

Much of His mission was to associate with people who were close to hitting rock bottom or were already there. I guess you could say he attracted people who were living in sin.

The religious leaders did not like and could not believe that Jesus would do such a thing as to associate with the lowliest people. Here was perfect Jesus associating with others that most would not associate with. That is just how Jesus was. He reached to people and places where most of us would never go. He does not have barriers. He does not have a checklist of things that keep Him away from others. His love was real, genuine and reached out to those who needed Him most.

I have to wonder about us today. How many of us have a “checklist” of those we only associate with? Who do we only allow ourselves to associate with? We all have favorites and we choose to pay attention to those we choose to be around. We do not like being around people who make us feel uneasy and uncomfortable. And, we certainly do not like being around people who are completely different from us. We often disagree and find it challenging to find common ground.

Jesus did not let barriers like this stop Him from reaching out. He reached out to people we would avoid. He touched people we stay far away from. He had compassion on people that we would probably judge. He reached out and He loved. He associated with sinners and He loved lost sheep.

The next few verses talk about how Jesus goes after lost sheep because they matter. He would leave the 99 to find the 1 because that 1 totally matters.

I find it absolutely amazing that people who were lost and in sin were attracted to Jesus. They were amazed that He took time to reach out to them.

Do we associate with sinners? Jesus associates with us, and we are sinners. He calls us to associate with others without barriers. That is challenging and tough, but that is our mission.

 

[JLB]

I have to wonder about us today. How many of us have a “checklist” of those we only associate with? Who do we only allow ourselves to associate with? We all have favorites and we choose to pay attention to those we choose to be around. We do not like being around people who make us feel uneasy and uncomfortable. And, we certainly do not like being around people who are completely different from us. We often disagree and find it challenging to find common ground.

There is certainly a balance to what you are saying.


While the Bible encourages us to go after the lost to turn them back to the truth, it would be good to define what exactly lost means.


We know that Jesus is separate from sinners.


For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; Hebrews 7:26


We also know we are not to associate with Christians who are immoral.


I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.
1 Corinthians 5:9-11


again

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. Ephesians 5:11-12


I hope we can examin these things and find a healthy balance to apply to our lives.


Understanding how we can become defiled by associating with the immoral is the key.



JLB

 

[Truthfrees]

my favorite story of God's power to reach people is james robison went street witnessing with arthur blessed (the guy that carried the cross as a witnessing tool)

james was walking down the street ahead of arthur trying to tell people about Jesus - and most people told james no thanks

james looked back and saw that these same people would be crying and on their knees accepting Jesus

james said to God what's up - i talked to those same people and they said no

God told james that arthur loved people the way God did and that is why people said yes to Jesus when arthur told them about Jesus

to me this says that the power of God and the love of Jesus is needed to cause people to turn to Jesus

without these we will probably get nowhere with unbelievers - no matter how much time we spend with them

and to tell the truth we do not have what it takes to turn anyone to Christ - we need God's love and God's power to do it through us

so looking at ourselves is the wrong direction to look - to boast or to condemn ourselves

we just need to look at Jesus and be so focused on being close to Him that He leads sinners to Himself through us

 

[for_his_glory]

Matthew 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Matthew 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

 

[for_his_glory]

People just don't like getting out of their comfort zone and as a bird of a feather will only flock together

 

[Christ_empowered]

another well-written post. a couple things..I was so low on the totem pole, I was called "society's reject" 'round here. long story...I was spared prison, felony, state hospital...but as I was spared, hostility in the community grew. and...

I remember one "Born Again" a year or two younger than me. I was at a mutual friend's house, and I said "we should hang out" and she said "I don't think that's ever going to happen." true story.

at a church I tried to attend while out of state, people talked about me "being on welfare." I was living off my parents...because no one would hire me, at 25-26, it was kinda like...party over, dewd.

so...thank you. another point: Jesus' Kingdom is -not- of this world, and neither are His directions for our lives. Human beings are so predictable in their social behavior, there's a whole science dedicated to it..Sociology. Most sociologists I've known aren't Christian, but now that I am Christian...I see it as the study of unredeemed humanity, and how they deal with each other, from families on up to whole societies. really fascinating. anyway...

thanks, again. and you do write well. I see (thru mass emails I keep getting from GotQuestions) that a number of Christian publishers are also doing self-publishing, which is becoming more popular for 1st time authors. a big one is Xulon, and I think there are some others, many of which are part of larger, respected publishing houses. Just thought I'd mention that...very few people can support themselves writing, but this self-publishing industry strikes me as a great tool for Christians, especially in the Kindle-era.

 

[JLB]

we just need to look at Jesus and be so focused on being close to Him that He leads sinners to Himself through us