“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’” (Luke 15:1-2).
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them . . . ”
If it shocks you that this accusatory observation came from the religious leaders of God’s people in Jesus’ day, the modern equivalent of pastors, consider this: The Pharisees and teachers of the law were focused on outward obedience to God’s laws.
They’d keep his commands (and even went above and beyond what God said in the Scriptures) to show their commitment to fulfilling the requirements of the law to the letter. The Pharisees thought that by doing so, they could earn salvation for themselves.
Sinful humankind can never earn salvation for ourselves. Even if we keep the law outwardly, our sinful hearts still expose the internal failure to keep God’s law perfectly as he requires. We have a desperate need for a Savior to keep the law in our place.
Regardless, is it any wonder that the Pharisees and teachers of the law were so shocked that Jesus was interacting with “tax collectors and sinners”? He said he was the Messiah! The Messiah shouldn’t be mixing with such people who lived outwardly sinful, abhorrent, and unclean lives.
Here’s where the Pharisees got it wrong:
Jesus welcoming sinners and eating with them wasn’t an acceptance of any external or internal sins present in their lives. Breaking bread with them was an opportunity to talk with the very people he came to save and to share his message of repentance and salvation with them—all in the hope that he would one day dine with them at the heavenly banquet feast of the Lamb.
After all, Jesus came to live the perfect life they never could. He came to die the death they deserved for their sins. He came to rise triumphant from the grave so that when they died, he could welcome them into heaven with open arms.
Jesus did all that for us too. He came to live, die, and rise again for us. And not only us, but also for every single person who has lived, is living, and ever will live on this earth.
Maybe it’s difficult to see certain people included in that number—or maybe it’s difficult to see yourself included. You know the sinful thoughts you struggle with, and I know mine.
Maybe you feel like you’d be among those labeled as “tax collectors and sinners” if Jesus were doing his earthly ministry in modern times. Maybe you feel like you’ve made a lot of bad choices and now you don’t know where you stand with God—or if you’d even be welcomed by him at all.
Maybe you feel that your life is often one of obedience to God and question why other believers’ lives seem less put together and Christian than yours. But when you’re really honest with yourself, you realize that your life is just one of outward obedience, and it’s starting to show. Maybe you feel like you’re just going through the motions and wonder whether you’re actually a Christian.
Dear Christian, Jesus welcomes sinners. He welcomes you and me.
Not in a way that leads us to think that he’s sweeping our sins and failures to keep God’s law under a rug. No. Rather, he welcomes us in the grace-filled way of pointing our eyes to the bloodstained cross where our sins and failures have been nailed and done away with. Not because we deserve it, but because he loves us. He directs our attention to his Word and sacraments, where he tells us that we are freely and fully forgiven and loved. He calls us now to live for him, free from sin, shame, and guilt.
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them . . . ”
Thank you, God, that Jesus does!
In Gospel Motivation: More Than “Jesus Died for My Sins,” you’ll see how the law, the gospel, and life in Christ are all interwoven so that you can develop a healthy way of striving for godly living, motivated by the gospel.
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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