If Jesus feared guilt by association, he would have stayed in heaven. – Andy Stanley
Jesus isn’t repelled by our messiness. In fact, He has this irresponsible habit of throwing open the doors of love to messy people. He did it all the time.
When the Pharisees and their scribes – also known as the tidy people – heard that Jesus was dining with tax collectors, they confronted the disciples and asked them, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” - (Luke 5:30).
Stated another way, “Why do you hang out with messy people?”
To the Pharisees, messy people included any Jew who didn’t keep the Law, ceremonial cleanliness, or moral precepts. These messy people had given up and weren’t even pretending to be tidy anymore. They were just living life. They were sinners and unclean, and the tidy people couldn’t figure out why Jesus, a rabbi, would hang out with messy people.
Why were they so bothered by Jesus’ company?
- Pharisees define people by their sin. They label you with the name of your sin.
- Pharisees like to punish people for their sin. You can never do enough.
- Finally, Pharisees are blind to their own sin. They rely totally on selfrighteous acts.
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