Jesus-friend of sinners

"If Jesus came to Amsterdam, He would go to the discos. He would know the names of all the bartenders and He would be friends with all the prostitutes. The Bible tells us that Jesus was a friend of sinners; but we may say, What about my reputation, my witness?


I told the story of how my wife had struck up a friendship with a particular girl with whom she talked about Jesus. “The only way she could see her was to go behind the window and talk with her, while I waited on the street. Men would walk by and think that Jodi was also a prostitute. This made me very angry. But if my wife was going to show God’s love to that girl, she had to be willing to be mistaken for a prostitute. If you are going to reach lost sheep, you are going to have to be willing to be mistaken for one yourself. Just like Jesus was. He was called a glutton, a drunkard, and a sinner. Why? Because he loved them so much he was willing to be mistaken for one himself." -Rock Priest

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." -Matthew 9:10-13

I've just really thinking about how cool it is that Christ was a friend of sinners. He'd hang out with prostitutes, criminals, drug addicts, and everything in between. How many of us would be willing to do that without fear of being scorned?