Friend of Sinners

The Super Bowl has come and gone, and as is usually the case, the week after most of the discussion has been about the commercials that advertisers paid $7 million per 30-second ad to show the nation. And one of the most talked about--and in some circles, the most controversial--was the He Gets Us ad featuring Jesus washing feet. Everyone, it seems, has strong opinions about the ad, which probably means it was a success. I hesitate weighing in on the whole discussion, because I have pretty strong feelings on both sides--and because I think context is vital in understanding the purpose and target market of the ad. 

If you don't know what I'm talking about, the He Gets Us campaign has run a series of TV ads over the past few years that seek to communicate to an unchurched world that Jesus "gets us." Their Super Bowl ad featured Jesus washing the feet of certain people that the church has often rejected, prompting some to suggest that the ad was soft on sin, and that it is saying that Jesus is accepting of any lifestyle or behavior. And certainly there is a concern that some may receive the message of the ads in that way, and feel like they can come to Jesus and continue to live unrepentant lives.

I agree with those concerns, while I would also be careful to remember that the biggest indictment against Jesus--from the religious Pharisees, of course--was that He was "a friend of sinners." Thank God that He was, and is, or we would all be in a lot of trouble! Yes, He accepted those sinners, and He loved them just they way they were--but He also loved them too much to leave them that way. And He does the same for us today.

There's no better example than the woman caught in adultery that we read about in John 8, about whom Jesus famously said to her accusers, "Let him without sin among you cast the first stone." He did not condemn her, despite her sin, but He did tell her to "go and sin no more." That balance is crucial for us to fully understand the love and grace and truth of the gospel of Jesus.

Even while we seek to stand up for the holy standards God gives us in His word, we must not overlook the truth that Jesus "receives sinners," and insist that people "clean up their act" before they come to Him. We all come to Him "just as I am" and He cleans us up from there. Getting that process reversed is what the church has had a hard time with for quite a while, and may be what the ad was trying to address. Either way, people need to know that Jesus loves them, so much so that "even while we were yet sinners," He died for us. (Romans 5:8)

It reminds me of a testimony I read about from someone who came to faith in Christ after the Lord used a unique way to open her eyes to the gospel. Her name was Edith, and she previously cared nothing for religion. But one Sunday morning she walked into a church service near her apartment looking for something to satisfy her discontented soul. When the pastor arose to read the Scripture for the day, she had no idea how the Lord would seem to speak directly to her.

The text that day was Luke 15:1-2, which the pastor read from the King James Version of the Bible. "Then drew near unto Him all the publicans and sinners for to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying 'This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.'" That's what the pastor read, but this is what Edith heard: "This man receives sinners, and Edith with them." Immediately she sat straight up in her pew! 

She eventually realized her mistake, but the thought that Jesus welcomed sinners--and that included Edith--stayed with her. She began to explore the truth of the Scripture, read the gospel accounts about this man who loved a sinner like her, and eventually decided to place her faith in Christ and follow Him.

However scandalous it may seem, the good news for us today is that Jesus Christ still receives sinners...and Edith with them. You can also fit your name in that same blank, because you are included in the long list of sinners that He receives. I hope you know Him, but if not, I hope you'll give Christ your full attention and that you will turn to Him in faith. He loves you unconditionally and demonstrated that love by dying on the cross for your sins.

I am praying for you, as I hope you are for me, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

--Pastor Ken