What was it about HIM?
It was the talk of the country side. Good living people talked about it. Synagogue attendees whispered and shook their heads. The religious leaders were appalled and used it as evidence to condemn and mock Him.
Everywhere Jesus traveled He attracted the low-lifers – as some would call them. Scruffy looking alcoholics staggered towards Him. Despised tax-gatherers gravitated to Him. Homeless street people gathered around Him. Sinners of all stripes came out of the shadows to meet Him. Cheaters, stealers, beaters, violent derelicts, addicts and others abandoned by society were drawn to Him.
Now the tax collectors and sinners
were all drawing near to hear Him.
And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying,
“This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Luke 15:1-2
Have you ever wondered what it was about our Saviour that caused sinners to be drawn to Him? People who usually made themselves scarce from mainstream society were drawn to Him like metal to a magnet.
Perhaps it was His approach.
When a greasy, long haired man with a pony tail approached Him did He immediatelytell Him: “It is a shame for a man to have long hair?”
When a pregnant teenager walked toward Him with her hair falling over her face, did He quicklycondemn her of fornication?
When a staggering, inebriated middle aged man came up to Him, did He promptlyquote Scriptures regarding the abuse of alcohol?
When a lesbian tried to get close enough to hear Him, did he interruptHis message to shout “Abomination!” and shame her for her lifestyle?
When the unemployed man, dressed in rags, quietly inched his way near the Saviour, did Jesus shoutout: “If a man shall not work, neither shall he eat?”
When the girl with multiple piercings and with her body plastered with tattoos walked towards Him did He embarrassher by saying: “Don’t you know you are violating the Scriptures when you mark and mar your body?”
When the violent naked man with his body scarred from cuttings got close enough, did Jesus frown and scoldand point out all his wrong-doings?
Did He carry placards and stand outside primitive abortion clinics of His day and scream to the frail and broken woman exiting: “Murder! Murder!”
These types of people not only drew near to Him, often He took time to have a bite to eat with them. Imagine what they must have thought when everyone else shunned them, here was someone who was willing to sit with them.
“Did you see His eyes? Instantly, I knew this Man cared. I felt safe and loved in His presence. I sensed He knew all about my sins, my tears, my loneliness, my shame and my regrets. I knew He was there to help me. In fact, when He looked at me, it was the first glimmer of hope I’ve ever had in my life. There was just something about Him. He was real. He cared. He was gracious. Right there, He met my need completely. As a lost, shivering, bruised, beaten up and bleeding sheep, He picked me up – just like a tender Shepherd and brought me to safety.”
How does my approach to winning souls compare? When I try to witness to them on the street or speak to them publicly at an inner-city shelter or in a Gospel meeting – do they get the same impression from my approach?
Jesus seemed to deal directly and to the point with the upper echelons of society and called them out on their sins. But for those bruised and battered by raw sin, He treated them so gently and with respect and with so much tenderness and compassion. Sadly, we often do the opposite.
We pussy-foot around the issue of sin and gingerly try to sophisticatedly confront spiritual issues with the big-wigs of society – citizens-of-the-year, corporate elites, our neighbours, etc. We give them the kid gloves treatment. But when it comes to the less fortunate – we put on our boxing gloves. Often we save our harshest treatment and deal our most direct blows to those who have already been beaten and bruised by sin. We become brutally honest with them and rough them up thinking it will lead to their repentance.
“Lord, help me to be more Christ-like in my approach to those in need of Your great salvation.”
Kim Phuc – Searching for Light in Dense Darkness Read the Latest Story on heaven4sure.com