As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him.

And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when he heard this, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."

Matthew 9:9-13

The religious leaders of the day were outraged by the behavior of Jesus. Their conclusion was that Jesus was a friend of sinners, and as it turns out, He was. Jesus did come to save all of us who are lost. Just like Jesus, we rub shoulders with all types of people on a daily basis. Many of them are lost. The real test of our faith is what we do about that. Do we lead them to Jesus, or even try to?

To be a friend of Jesus

is to be a friend of sinners.

Our Daily Bread – September 1, 2004