Friend of sinners
14 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
I have a number of pet peeves when it comes to some of the popular misconceptions of the scriptures. My strongest ones come from times when people not only have dramatically misinterpreted them, but also then turn around and use their misguided thinking to imagine they are thereby following some radical and elite spirituality, possibly even rebuking others as missing the boat when it comes to following Jesus. One of the most classic ones has to do with the understanding of Jesus “hanging out with sinners”. If he spent most of his time chilling with the prostitutes, why are we so concerned with being all holy and separate and whatnot? Give me a break! This buzz-line of an argument has been constantly used to justify low moral standards at worst, watered down worship and ministry at best, and all around compromise in life. It goes without saying that we should love people and should desire to reach them with the gospel truth. But it does not automatically follow that we should try to “reach” people by any means possible. To put it to the extreme, should we have a pedophile over as an overnight guest or go on a drive by with some gangsters?! I think (I pray, I hope) that most of us realize that Jesus never meant for us to abandon healthy boundaries.
The fact is that he never did this himself, either. People only think this way because they fail to realize that his “hanging out” was not like we think and the “sinners” in such references were not what we think. The type of people in question (prostitutes, tax collectors, etc.) were definitely coming from groups that were dark and corrupt (though sometimes they were merely non-Jewsish), but the contexts whereby we see Jesus with them are all contexts where they were either coming to Jesus to learn from Him or else Jesus was a fellow guest of someone who was doing so, or else it was just normal day-to-day life (i.e. the woman at the well). This is not at all the same as Jesus just kickin’ back with bad people in their badness. They were overtly pursuing to some degree who Jesus was and what He was teaching. On the whole, His three short years on record were an intensive teaching and reaching journey. There was no time for any normal life of “hanging out” with any group of people except as side visits on a travelling ministry trip (which largely included synagogues… Jewish churches).
Even then, the “sinners” in question were only really called such to reference the life they came from. He is never seen “rubbing elbows” with people set in their evil ways, only with people who were dramatically coming out of it. The scriptures highlight their particular status as “sinners” as a contrast to the self-righteous and unloving Pharisees (the understanding of which is also one of my pet peeves) who are not judged or criticized for staying away from the lifestyles of evil men, but for rejecting an honestly repentant person (or even the possibility of their repentance and God’s forgiveness) out of an hypocritical (i.e. false front) rhetoric regarding ceremonial cleanliness. Technically, such people were considered “unclean” according to Jewish custom and thereby, to even be in the same house as them, especially to share a meal, without them going through a process of cleansing (going to the temple and making an offering, etc.) was to make oneself unclean as well. It wasn’t a matter of being more willing to associate with evil people “where they are”, but with never being so self-absorbed and self-satisfied that we lose sight of disinterested love and openness for all people to come to God in their need. The Pharisees’ understanding and application of this custom had cut off such possibilities of love and outreach. Yes, Jesus did reach out- way out. But he never spent any free time just shooting the breeze down in the brothels, not even as a sort of “maybe they’ll eventually wanna know why I’m different and ask me” endeavor.
I have a friend who runs an outreach center for troubled Somali youth in Minnesota (word up, Molly!). It’s awesome. These kids need some place to go that’s good clean fun and recreation, keeping them out of trouble. At the center, they do indeed just kick it with these “sinners”. But, again, the youth are coming to their center, which has special rules on behavior and leadership that infuses healthy conflict resolution, positive encouragement, and just plain gospel truth into all they do. I hope that people can see the humongous difference between this and others who, in the name of the false interpretation I’m addressing, continue to spend their time with people (“friends”) who are involved in violence, drugs, and sexual immorality. Not only do we need to separate for the sake of our own health and growth, but also so that there can truly be something for people to come to (and I don’t just mean a Church service, though they too are being drastically watered down in the name of “seeker sensitivity”) when they finally decide to leave such evil ways. The proverb cited by Paul himself (the most inclusive of missionaries) is forever true. “Bad company corrupts good morals”. But if we will continue to be a light on a hill, and not lose our saltiness, the world will be impacted for good instead!
