Image: Zacchaeus in the Sycamore Awaiting the Passage of Jesus by James Tissot from the Brooklyn Museum. James Tissot painted a whole collection of painting on the life of Jesus that you can explore HERE.
I have been meditating on the theme of “Jesus, friend of sinners” that I see as I read through the book of Luke. Here are two passages I find really interesting. Would you consider them with me?
“Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: ” ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”” (Luke 7:31-35 NIV)
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:1-7 NIV)
It strikes me as I read these passages that Jesus wasn’t just friendly to sinners, he was a friend to sinners. Jesus didn’t make a show of this; it was simply who he was, and it made religious people very uncomfortable.
Where they drew strict lines between sinners and holy people, Jesus breezed through, just as at home in the synagogue reading Scripture as he was at a raucous party.
Where the religious put up barriers and burdens to the love of God, Jesus welcomed people into relationship with himself, his love large, encompassing, and fearless.
Where the religious saw people as either sinners or not sinners, Jesus saw people he found delightful and wonderfully made. He saw people he wanted to see made whole. He saw people he wanted to know.
I have been thinking about what that means for you and me.
First, I think recognizing that Jesus is a friend to sinners means recognizing that he is a friend to me first. He welcomes me into a relationship where he is continually calling me to transformation for my good and his glory.
Second, recognizing that Jesus is a friend to sinners means that we recognize our shared humanity with everyone we meet. We recognize, like Paul, that we are the worst sinners we know (1 Timothy 1:15). Nothing should shock us in anyone else. Our message is not, “Come, be good like me,” (a recipe for hypocrisy!) but “Come, meet my friend Jesus.”
Thirdly, because God’s love is so great and boundary-breaking, ours can be too. We don’t have to be intimidated by difference. If Jesus could enter human flesh to know us, we can enter into someone else’s world too. That might be our own child, a neighbor of a difference age, race, religion or political persuasion, or anyone we just don’t understand (yet).
I want to look at one last passage that demonstrates this so well.
Luke has just shared the story of the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-30). Jesus invited him to come and follow him, but the man couldn’t even consider leaving his riches. Jesus then told his disciples that is was extremely hard, but not impossible, for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God. Then Luke introduces us to a hated, but rich, chief tax collector named Zacchaeus:
“[Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.“” (Luke 19:1-10 ESV)
Zacchaeus was the absolute last person anyone in his town would suggest hosting Jesus! What trail of crooked things did he blaze in order to become chief tax collector for the Romans? It was as if Jesus was telling people (and Luke in his Gospel), You have no idea how grand and wide is the mercy of God, and who it can reach, and what it can do when it does!
What message do YOU think Jesus was sending by inviting himself to eat at Zacchaeus’ house? What do you think Luke was trying to show by including these stories in his Gospel?
You can download this Jesus Meets Zacchaeus coloring page HERE or by clicking on the image below.
COPYRIGHT/USAGE: All writing, artwork and photos are copyright Marydean Draws. Please do not repost or resell on another website. I’m happy for you to use my coloring pages and other printables for home, school, and ministry. If you share content, please link back to the original post. Thank you!
