Who are the most notorious people you can think of? Most of us think of people who exploit others. People like drug dealers, pimps, gangsters, and child molesters are at the top of the list. These aren’t the kind of people you would want to hang out with…unless you’re Jesus.
Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:1–2)
Eating with people back then was pretty much an all day event. There were no microwaves or frozen food quick meals. Jesus was hanging out with some pretty nasty folks. And the religious folks didn’t like it.
The Pharisees and Sadducees were the kinds of people you would expect God’s son to hang out with. They were interested in the scriptures, the law, church, and God. They worked really hard at being good people and believed they were what God wanted. No wonder they were so upset about the people Jesus chose to spend time with.
But grace is illogical.
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6–8)
The ones who need grace the most, deserve it least. And the grace they need isn’t obtained through anything they do. It is revealed totally through and in Jesus. Jesus is grace. Grace is a person. And he’s a person who likes to hang out with sinners.
I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent. (Luke 5:32, NLT)
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