A Friend of Sinners
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Isaiah 53:11–12
The religious leaders in Jesus’ day rejected Him because He did not fit their idea of what the Messiah should be. One of the things Jesus did which particularly outraged them was reaching out to people the leaders rejected because of their public sin. “The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children” (Matthew 11:19). Thank God that Jesus is a friend of sinners! Without His love and grace we would have no hope. All of His life—from the moment of His birth and even in His ancestry—Jesus, though perfect, identified with fallen and sinful man.
Dr. John Rice said, “He was the Son of kings. He was the Son of poverty. When Mary brought the baby Jesus into the Temple and offered the sacrifice, she offered the sacrifice that poor women would offer- two turtledoves or two pigeons, because she was poor. The Son of kings and riches, and the Son of poverty and lowliness, too. He was the Son of Ruth the Moabitess as well as the Son of the Jews. He is the Son of Rahab the harlot, the Canaanite woman, as well as of the Jews because that is all in the ancestral line.” The love of God for us is not because of our goodness, but because of His nature.
Isaiah 53:11–12
The religious leaders in Jesus’ day rejected Him because He did not fit their idea of what the Messiah should be. One of the things Jesus did which particularly outraged them was reaching out to people the leaders rejected because of their public sin. “The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children” (Matthew 11:19). Thank God that Jesus is a friend of sinners! Without His love and grace we would have no hope. All of His life—from the moment of His birth and even in His ancestry—Jesus, though perfect, identified with fallen and sinful man.
Dr. John Rice said, “He was the Son of kings. He was the Son of poverty. When Mary brought the baby Jesus into the Temple and offered the sacrifice, she offered the sacrifice that poor women would offer- two turtledoves or two pigeons, because she was poor. The Son of kings and riches, and the Son of poverty and lowliness, too. He was the Son of Ruth the Moabitess as well as the Son of the Jews. He is the Son of Rahab the harlot, the Canaanite woman, as well as of the Jews because that is all in the ancestral line.” The love of God for us is not because of our goodness, but because of His nature.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Rejoice today that we have a Saviour given through God’s love, who offers us grace in spite of our sin.
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