Friend of Sinners

In Luke 7:34 Jesus was called “a friend of publicans and sinners.” Luke 15:1-2 says Jesus, “receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.” Jesus accepted, welcomed, and ate with sinners. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” What a wonderful day it is when someone burdened down in trespasses and sins responds to the call of Jesus. Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And that includes us (Isaiah 53:6).

1. Jesus Sought the Lost:

a. Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Do you seek the lost? Do you go out of your way for the lost or out of your way to avoid the lost? Do you receive sinners? Do you have them over for dinner? Are you a friend of sinners? Your response to these questions are important because they give you insight on how closely you are following Jesus.

b. Jesus sought out and waited out a woman from Samaria. He came there and sat on a well (John 4:7-8). It was high noon and He sat down on the well and the disciples went into town buy provisions. Here comes a woman out to draw water at mid-day and Jesus asks her for a drink of water. The Jews never talked to Samaritans unless they had no choice. Also, a rabbi would never talk to a woman unless in the presence of witnesses.

c. But, Jesus had an appointment with her and He went out of His way to be there at that moment because He was fishing for her and wanted to give her a chance to get saved. It wasn’t because of any particular goodness on her part, not is their any goodness on our part. It is because God is gracious and not willing that any should perish that He goes through great lengths to reach us where we are.

d. She said, “I don’t understand. How can you ask me that (John 4:9)?” And Jesus told her that if she knew Who He was, she would be asking Him for a drink because the water He has is living water in which she will never thrist again! She said, “Give me this water (John 4:15).” Jesus had brought her to ask the for the very thing that He came there for. But in order for Jesus to get the that living water into her, something had to happen. So He said, “Call your husband!” Repentance had to clear the way.

e. She said, “Oh, I have none.” He said, “Right. You've had five and the man you're living with now is not your husband.” And she said, “I perceive that thou art a prophet (John 4:19)!” And then she, full of guilt and shame, blurted out the one question that had been bugging her all her life, “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” And Jesus was letting her pour her heart out. See, she was confessing. She was letting her guard down.

f. And Jesus instructed her on the nature of God and true worship and revealed Himself to her as the promised Messiah (John 4:21-26). At that moment the disciples walked up and she dropped her waterpot and ran into the city to tell the men she’d been in relationship with back in Samaria and the whole town turned out. She said, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.” And many of the Samaritans believed on Him because of the saying of the woman.

g. Jesus met her without rebuke or condemnation. He tailored the encounter just for her, where she'd be able to repent, He’d be able to reveal Himself, and where she'd be able to acknowledge, believe, and testify. He met her with no blame. No scolding, no condemnation. And not a single soul has ever come to Christ for salvation and forgiveness and gotten scorned and rejected by Christ. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He is truly a friend of sinners!