The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ‘
-Luke 7:34
All us Christians know and agree on the fact that everyone is a sinner. You’re a sinner, I’m a sinner, we’re all sinners. But if you read the above verse you’ll note that the word “sinners” is in quotes. That’s because the translators were trying to convey a sense of the word. They were trying to convey that in a sense Jesus was speaking the above phrase and when He got to the word “sinners” he held up His hands and did the “quote fingers.” He was pointing out the fact that many times, even though we might say that we’re all sinners, what we really mean is that yeah we’re all sinners but we’re not the [quote fingers]“real sinners”[/quote fingers].
I know that I tend to look at the “real sinners” as people who shoot up heroine, rape children and commit genocide. But what I need to understand is that my stance before God (without Christ) is just as hopeless. As Josh Hunt said
Many of us say, “We want to reach people for Christ.” But what we really mean is “We want to reach nice people, clever people, smart people, people who shower every day.” Do I choose only those friends who are not the “real sinners” or do I consciously seek out those people who are far from God and then make a concerted effort to befriend them as Jesus did?
Dang. Pardon me as I repent.
