Friend of Sinners

by Jill Rhodes

September 2004

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking; and you say,
"Behold, a gluttonous man, and a drunkard,
a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!"
Luke 7:34

"Two things there are which man has no arithmetic to reckon...
one of these things is the extent of that man's loss
who loses his own soul.
The other is the extent of God's gift when he gave Christ to sinners...
Sin must indeed be exceeding sinful when the Father must needs give
his only Son to be the sinner's Friend!    (J.C. Ryle)

To be sure we must deplore wickedness, evil, and wrongdoing, but our commendable intolerance of sin too often develops into a deplorable intolerance of sinners.  Jesus hates sin but loves the sinner... One of the things which the scribes and Pharisees criticized bitterly was His willingness to help and talk to and exchange ideas with anyone, be they publicans, thieves, learned professors or prostitutes, rich or poor!  Even His own followers decried some of the people with whom He was seen in public, but this did not lessen the compassion that Jesus felt for all the members of poor, blinded, struggling humanity.

Jesus had the most open and all-encompassing mind that this world has ever seen.  His own inner conviction was so strong, so firm, so unswerving that He could afford to mingle with any group secure in the knowledge that He would not be contaminated... He knew the difference between graciousness and compromise and we would do well to learn from Him.  He set for us the most magnifient and glowing example of truth combined with mercy of all time, and in departing said:  "Go ye and do likewise"  (Luke 10:37).
(Billy Graham)

Come and See

A Forgiving Friend

1.  Read Luke 7:36-50.  What do you think caused this woman to risk coming to the Pharisee's house?
     How did the Pharisee respond to her actions?  Why?

2. Who do you think was more "lovable" to Jesus?  Why?

3.  What point was Jesus making to Simon through the story of the two debtors (v. 41-42)?
     How does this apply in your own life?

4.  What do you think the forgiveness of Jesus meant to this woman?

"How did Jesus accomplish so much?  He went into places that the Pharisees wouldn't dare to go.  He went where the sinners were. He didn't wait for them to come to him.  He went among the tombs to find them.  And we must do the same."    (Richard Grubb)

A Faithful Friend

5.  Read Mark 1:40-45.  What three things did the leper do as he came to Jesus?

6.  Why would the Lord reach out and touch this man before healing him?
     How is this an encouragement to you?

7.  What instructions did Jesus give to the leper after healing him (v.43-45)?  Why?

8.  All of us need a special touch from Jesus in our lives.  Where do you need His touch the most?

"Was not Jesus an extremist for love?  ... so the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be."
(Martin Luther King)

A Forever Friend

9.  What do we learn about Mary Magdalene from Luke 8:1-3?

10.  According to Mark 16:9, Jesus appeared first to Mary after rising from the dead.  Given Mary's background, why would He choose her as the first witness to His resurrection?
      How is this an encouragment to you?

The Lord's acceptance of women, even those who had made grave mistakes, was a strong testimony to His unfailing love in Bible times, when women were not highly valued.  God even included the names of four women with questionable backgrounds in the genealogy of Christ, including Ruth, a Moabite woman.  Though considered an outcast because of the history of Moab, God led her to a new life in Bethlehem where she reaped a harvest of hope by marrying Boaz and bearing a son who would be part of the lineage of Messiah.  The book in the Old Testament bearing Ruth's name is a witness to the goodness of God in bringing blessing and gain in spite of past failures.

11.  Read John 20:11-18.  When all seemed lost, Jesus spoke Mary's name.  How has Jesus met you personally in a time of grief?  How did it make you feel?

12.  After Jesus died and was raised, what was different about Mary's relationship with the Lord (v.17)?

"It's a basic law of the kingdom of God that the servants
who know how poor they are become the richest,
and those who give the most
receive the most and therefore have the most to give." 
(Warren Wiersbe)

Come and Follow

13.  Is it hard for you to extend God's grace to sinners?  Why?
      How might Romans 5:6-10 help you to keep the right perspective?

14.  In Matthew 25:34-40, Jesus chose to associate Himself with those who were hungry, thirsty, strangers, the naked, the sick, and those in prison.  What are some practical ways you can reach out to "the least of these"?

15.  What two qualities do you need to reach out to others like Jesus did (Matthew 9:36, 2 Cor. 5:14)?

Take a moment and pray that God would cultivate these in your life today.

"Despise not a soul for whom Christ died!" 
(Jerome)

Name Above All Names

At the name of Jesus every knee will bow... and every tongue will confess the Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."  Phil. 2:10-11

~ A Friend that Sticks Closer than a Brother ~  Proverbs 18:24

~ A Friend of Publicans ~  Matthew 11:19

~  Strength to the Poor ~  Isaiah 25:4

~  Man of Sorrows ~  Isaiah 53:3

~  Separate from Sinners ~  Hebrews 7:26

~ He Who Knew No Sin ~ 2 Corinthians 5:21

~ Him Whom My Soul Loves ~ Song of Solomon 3:2

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Used with permission from Jill Rhodes' Bible Study 'Come and Behold Him', A Study of the Names of Jesus.