Issues about friends, contamination, undesirables, acceptance, and sin became a problem
(for others) quite early in the account of Jesus.
So we see here in this extract:
Since they were not able to bring him to[a] Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:4-7, CSB). Did their faces clearly show the Scribes' distress? Their treasured religion was being discarded by this Jesus! It would be bad enough that Jesus was allowing in his presence a sinner under deserved punishment (see below).
These sentences come from a pericope of 4 people bringing a man, seeking Jesus’ help. Jesus was on the “side” of the man lying on that mat (bed).
Jesus himself was being watched that day. That was no barrier to him, so we read on there: At once, Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said, “Why are you thinking such things? Is it easier for me to tell this man his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and pick up his mat and go on home? I will show you that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth.” So Jesus said to the man, “Get up! Pick up your mat and go on home.” (Mark 2:8-11, CEV). What more could they say then?
Their own ancient religious practice (daily Temple sacrifices, etc) did remind them that individual and community disobedience to God was deadly serious, and needed forgiveness. The critics were right in that sin is about defiance of God’s requirements and God is the one to forgive breaches by us rebels. On that day (see above), in that (slightly damaged) house, the “scribes” were faced with a wandering Carpenter accepting sinners and even forgiving sin, which they thought scandalous. What was worse (for them), was Jesus demonstrating the truthfulness of his actions, by (unasked) healing the man. That man, and the helpers who had brought him, did in effect ask for something. Jesus must have addressed the man’s need - forgiveness of his sin. (Did all five know that was what it was all about? No way to know the answer to that. No more than there is to know if they restored that roof!) Anyway, if there was a sin problem, there was Jesus simply accepting the sinner into his presence!
What then is this “sin” that Jesus forgave? To go against God is to sin; to go against human law is to be a law-breaker.
(Quite likely disregard of our law is also sin; However, what is sin in God’s eyes may not always be covered by human law.)What is our measure? Imagine, our measure is God’s own glory! Probably Paul (below) knew the positive form Jesus gave this concept: But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48, NLT). We can easily agree with the mantra, “nobody’s perfect”. That fact does not change anything. (There was one who was perfect.) It is perhaps significant that Jesus’ requirement has that word “perfect”, acting according with our true design, demanding accountable living. Jesus said a lot more about what is required of God’s people; of his followers (see Matthew 5-7, etc).
The hearers that day were familiar with their more ancient words, laid on Moses: “Speak to all the congregation of the Israelites and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy (Leviticus 19:2, NRSVUE). The lengthy “Holiness Code” from those days is more complicated and contrasts with Jesus' teaching, but the principle is clear.
Paul gives the very succinct statement: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, NIV). All are directed to be perfect, like God. What does it matter if I fail? Those who heard Jesus had no reason to be confused, as we see below.
The Apostle Paul reminded people in Rome that God’s view had long been known from the ancient words of Jesus’ Bible (the Hebrew Bible). He listed a collection:
What then? Are we Jews[a] any better off?[b] No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:9-18, ESV).
And so we see none are righteous. All are under sin's power. And yet God does make distinctions, as Jesus said: that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45, NIV). How people act matters. Right action and thinking, living righteously, is expected - by God.
Despite the known fact that all are sinners*, sometimes the word is used to describe particular ways of acting. Perhaps it is like the notion of shunning the “open and notorious evil liver” or the "notorious criminal". A group or individual may set themselves openly and constantly against what God intends. (Do we not know that?)
In Jesus’ own day, the “sinner” label was readily applied with certainty to others, especially others in a minority, by people who seemed to not consider themselves as needing forgiveness. His community was familiar with the use of “sinners” as a group label*. Where the label was applied the recipients were regarded by others as unacceptable. In the Gospels the two clear labelling triggers were collaboration and sexual conduct, though the sufferer(s) of disease or disaster might be regarded as especially sinful (which could have applied to the paralysed man - see above). More than once we find Jesus criticising such thinking, for example: And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too” (Luke 13:4-5, NLT). So Jesus is saying there were sinners there, for sure. However, there is no basis to assign to sufferers a worse status in God's eyes. (His hearers should seek mercy.)
So, the term, “sinners”, may be useful as a description of lifestyle, but not as a measure for exclusion.
Then there is Jesus saying: I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32, ESV). Righteous. Is that about those who think they are righteous, or about people whose heart is genuinely set on obeying God? People like Joseph, partner of Mary, as we see here: Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly (Matthew 1:19, NLT). Joseph was someone good to have as a friend.
That Jesus actively connected with people classed as “sinners” was also a problem to the religious elite. So we find Jesus saying: For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated[a] by her deeds.”[b] (Matthew 11:18-19, CSB). Some people are impossible to please! Actually, I think it was a matter of finding excuses.
Following is a remarkably detailed pericope from Luke. If Luke is being carefully chronological, as well as accurate, this incident came early on. (The other Gospels have comparable events.)
One of the Pharisees asked him (Jesus) to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher”( Luke 7:36-40, ESV). That was brave of Simon! Even more than inviting the itinerant Carpenter. (Jesus answered his thoughts! How did a sinner get in there? Did what troubled Simon show clearly on his face?) So Simon had to hear:
“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[a] and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:41-50, NIV).
At last she had peace - God's peace, not theirs. Jesus had no problem at all with being approached closely by a "sinner", no more than he had in accepting the invitation of a suspicious Pharisee. Whatever was her reputation, it was no block to Jesus. That, like every one of us, the woman needed forgiveness of her sins (sin), was the point. She, by her action, showed that she wanted to be made acceptable. (Simon did not.) She was put right with God. She had peace - from God. (Did she have peace from Simon? I wonder.)
Jesus and Simon agreed - the true person of God is revealed by their "fruits". It is not a matter of what they say, but what they do. (I wonder if Simon was representing the group misusing the purity requirement of the Law.) Simon did not (could not) reveal a God of mercy and forgiveness.
Perhaps those other guests were also part of Simon's group. Was the dinner an "ambush" seeking grounds to overturn Jesus?
Perhaps Jesus was feeling a bit exasperated by the attitudes of the critics. Clearly he continued to see no barrier in the “sinner” label. Even worse in their eyes: Tax collectors[a] and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus. So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, “This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them.” (Luke 15:1-2, CEV). Friendly with sinners! Jesus was going miles too far they reckoned! Note that the “undesirables” were coming to listen to Jesus. He welcomed them to listen. So it is today, Jesus offers his welcome to one who wants to be welcomed. Reputation is no barrier to him.
Luke had reported a personal experience of Simon (Peter): Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret,[a] teaching the people as they crowded around him to hear God's message. Near the shore he saw two boats left there by some fishermen who had gone to wash their nets. Jesus got into the boat that belonged to Simon and asked him to row it out a little way from the shore. Then Jesus sat down[b] in the boat to teach the crowd (Luke 5:1-3, CEV).
And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink (Luke 5:4-7, ESV).
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’s knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!” For he and all those with him were amazed at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners.
“Don’t be afraid,” Jesus told Simon. “From now on you will be catching people.” Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed him (Luke 5:8-11, CSB).
In this early moment, Peter, decent, hard working, smallbusiness operator, began to compare himself with Jesus. He became conscious that he was flawed or blemished or stained, while Jesus, Peter somehow knew, was not. In fact, Peter recognises that he is unworthy, whilst Jesus is worthy. (I wonder what reactions James, John and Zebedee had.)
Another telling moment concerned a very important man and his understanding of himself, vis-a-vis Jesus: And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only speak the word, and my servant[a] will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me, and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it” (Matthew 8:7-9, NRSVUE). That important and armed army officer had come looking for help. Evidently, despite the fact that he had support from the community, he did not expect Jesus to cast aside the usual Jewish reactions to him. (The officer did understand the authority and power of Jesus.)
At the final stage Jesus referred to “sinners” in what seems a different way: Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.[a] See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” (Matthew 26:45-46, ESV) Who were the sinners? The religious elite? The soldiers? The Roman authorities? Perhaps it was the elite and the Roman authorities grouped as one.
John's Gospel includes an unusual and odd pericope revealing attitudes to sin. The men of the elite brought the offending woman before Jesus: “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:4-11, ESV). Adultery in the act is clear cut - if the act stops it stops! The way Jesus responds to the characters is telling. She is the powerless one and he treats her kindly. The powerful are remarkably forced to recognise, to some extent, their own imperfection. (That was not in Moses' ordinance.) They are the ones to confront themselves that day as sinners. They were hoping Jesus would reject the Law, not bring home their own disobedience.
The men could easily see her sin but had seen no relevance in their own sin. Jesus endorses the ancient prohibition on adultery, but does not impose physical punishment. Perhaps a "faceless mob" could stone someone; not so them in the spotlight of Jesus' presence with what he said ringing in their ears. Perhaps these men of the religious elite did know Jesus had intensified the Law on adultery by making the internal just as illicit - see Matthew 5. To pick up a stone against her would actually be to claim sinlessness, even in the thought and intent of the mind.
(Nothing is said of the imbalance - only the woman is brought - an act of adultery takes two, in the definition of the time. Moses included the man in the penalty - see Leviticus 20.)
Stonings did happen, or were attempted - see John 8:59, 10:31; Acts 7:58, 14:19, 22:23. I doubt the Romans would allow them routinely.
[The above episode has no agreed location in the oldest copies of the Gospel(s). You can easily see the issue by reading John 7 and 8. Bibles have marginal notes to explain.]
Jesus knew his friends
Speaking to disciples, he said: “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell.[a] Yes, he’s the one to fear (Luke 12:4-5, NLT). I am focussing on Jesus' use of that word, "friend". He wanted/s friends. He is free to call his followers, friends.
Later, to the closer group of disciples: Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants,[a] for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:13-15, ESV). I do not imagine Jesus had gone around speaking of the disciples as his servants, nor actually calling them that. What was changing? They were being exposed to the whole truth about Jesus; God's truth was being portrayed before their eyes. And so, come forward to this day... for thus it is. To all who will know him as way, truth and life, Jesus is your friend. Jesus had said: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him” (John 14:1-7, NIV). His friends have a way, know the truth, receive the gift of life into their empty hands.
A Conclusion
Humans are sinners. All need God’s forgiveness. Some sinners are righteous in living; they admit pleasing God is what life is about. Some of the sinners just happily, and even heedlessly, sin away. Jesus is ready to befriend sinners. Jesus want(ed/s) to call the heedless so that they could instead focus on doing as God requires.
To all: the promise of mercy.
A complication: People who are not righteous may imagine that they are righteous; that they have achieved righteousness... Jesus had this to say:
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other, for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14, NRSVUE).
One attender left just as he was…. (He was “praying”?) One self-labelled sinner made righteous with God. Do apparent prayers sometimes amount to nothing good?
Real men, or characters for the story? Makes no difference to the way Jesus approved the “outsider”, because we see that tax collector knew he was sinful. To think otherwise is, sadly, to be self-deceived.
Summary
Want Jesus for a friend? Just ask...
All have sinned
Some are justified
Some are righteous
Some, sadly, may be neither justified, nor righteous
To all, the offer of mercy
For I (Jesus) tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20, NRSVUE).
(Paul) This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life” (Romans 1:19, NLT).
(Paul) It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30, NIV).
(Paul) and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24, ESV).
(Peter) Now I am certain that God treats all people alike. God is pleased with everyone who worships him and does right, no matter what nation they come from. This is the same message that God gave to the people of Israel, when he sent Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, to offer peace to them (Acts 10:34-36, CEV).
*“Sinners”
The term is used to categorise rebels in the Hebrew Bible. For example:
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction (Psalm 1, NIV).
"Sinners" was also used frequently in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC, and later (see ancient writings - “Sirach”).
Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
Scripture quotations marked (CSB) are from the Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NRSVUE) are from the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Note: I retain in the publishers' text where they occur the references [ ] to footnotes, but usually not the notes. You can check them out by viewing the text on-line. Often they are replicated in different translations.
Bible passages accessed via BibleGateway.com
In the above post I very substantially reworked one from 2018.
God bless you!
Allen Hampton
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