I’m in the middle of reading Jesus Is by Judah Smith for the second time. Needless to say, I highly recommend it. The first part is called “Jesus is.. your friend.” In this part, Judah gives serveral examples of Jesus hanging out with the people who would be defined by us as “big sinners.” Zacchaeus and Matthew, were tax collectors that were, as Judah Smith says, “hated, feared, and rejected.” To say that the tax collectors were disliked would be an understatement. Tax collectors were Jews that worked for Rome. They would tax the other Jews, turn over the required amount of money to the Romans, and then keep whatever they could for themselves. They were despised. Tax collectors were seen as “big sinners.”
In the third chapter, Judah tells another story of a “big sinner,” a woman that was caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). If you’re not familiar with the story, a group of Pharisees bring to Jesus a woman who had been caught in adultery. They begin to tell how the law says that any woman who is caught in adultery must be put to death.
Now, before I continue, you should know that if anyone was going to point out the sin in other people, it would be the Pharisees. They believed that if they separated themselves from the sinners, they would be made holy. (Which is funny because the word ‘pharisee’ is taken from the Greek word ‘pharisaios’, taken from the Aramaic word, “Perisha,” meaning “separated one,” in Hebrew. No charge for that fun fact.)
But anyway, back to the story. After they presented the woman to Jesus (and a bunch of other people,) Jesus told them, “anyone who is without sin may throw the first stone.” Boom.
Slowly, and one-by-one, the Pharisees backed away.
And if that wasn’t cool enough, THEN Jesus turned to her and said “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” And when she said “no, Lord.” He said “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
Guys. Do you even understand how incredible your God is?
Jesus turned to a woman, who, before He was sent to earth, was supposed to be humiliated and killed, in front of a crowd, and told her that he would not condemn her. That’s amazing.
God came to earth in the form of flesh. Jesus was that flesh. So that means that everything that Jesus did, was what God would do. Therefore, Jesus sat with the prostitutes, tax collectors, and adulterers.
When the world hated them, He loved them.
When their people rejected them, He accepted them, as they were.
And when the Pharisees condemned them, He embraced them.
All of that done in the Name of mercy and grace.
Today, I’ve had the song You Love Me Anyway by Sidewalk Prophets on-repeat. The song describes all of the ways where we are undeserving of God’s love, but He loves us anyway.
The bridge of the song says:
I am the thorn in Your crown, But You love me anyway. I am the sweat from Your brow, But You love me anyway. I am the nail in Your wrist, But You love me anyway. I am Judas’ kiss, But You love me anyway. See now, I am the man that called out from the crowd For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking ground. Yes then, I turned away with this smile on my face with this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace. And then alone in the night, I still called out for You; So ashamed of my life, my life, my life. But You love me anyway.
You see, what the Pharisees didn’t know, was that they are no more than the ones who would mock Jesus while He was walking up to Calvary, where he would be crucified. The Pharisees thought they were the-holiest-of-the-holy because they would call others out on their sin. By not showing grace to those who needed it, they were no better than the tax collectors for cheating their people out of money, no better than the prostitutes for selling their bodies, and no better than the adulterers for engaging in extramarital sex. And better yet, if WE don’t show grace to those who need it, WE are NO better than the Pharisees, who are no better than the tax collectors for cheating their people out of money, no better than the prostitutes for selling their bodies, and no better than the adulterers for engaging in extramarital sex. But even then, God’s grace penetrates our deepest and darkest sins.
It’s a cycle: When knowingly sin, we reject God.
After we realize that we just rejected our only source of pure love, we run back to Him.
When we run to Him, He soaks us in His grace.
And repeat.
But through all of that, He still loves us. You know why? Because Jesus died for our “big” sins, our “small” sins, our past sins, our present sins, AND our future sins.
1 John 1:19: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If only we can all love and forgive as Christ does. Imagine the world we would live in. Your writing is beautiful sweetheart. So proud of you. Everyday you bring a new way to glorify god. You make him proud! Iwe love you so much.