THE BARRIER OF REPUTATION
Barriers to Bridges - Part 2
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Mark 2:13-17
When some of the legal experts from among the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why is he eating with sinners and tax collectors?”
Mark 2:16
Those whom we call “sinners”, God calls “beloved.” Those whom we call “tax collectors”, Jesus calls “friend.”
I find it striking that Jesus never refers to people as “sinners.” This does not mean that people do not sin, nor does it excuse their sin. What it does imply is that people are not ultimately identified or defined by their sin. As Jesus said, let the one who is without sin cast the first stone. I once heard a pastor say that we have no business judging others just because they sin differently than we do. He compared sin to ice cream in that everyone has their favorite flavor.
Take a moment of self-examination and allow God to bring to the surface your own favorite flavor of sin. If you say you do not have one, you might consider beginning your confession with the sin of pride or lying. Perhaps our sin of choice is greed or lust or anger or sloth. Perhaps it is a failure to honor the Sabbath Day or a tendency to prioritize idols of every kind over God. Surely we can all confess that “we have not loved God with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.”
So now that we have that out of the way, imagine writing even one of those sins on a name tag and wearing it around all day. What if in place of your name, everyone called you by the name of your sin? Some sins are more public than others and come with varying degrees of shame, but most of us are pretty good at sticking to the “secret” sins that we do not wear on our sleeves. Nevertheless, God knows.
Yet God does not call us by the names of our sin. God calls us beloved children. Sin is the primary symptom of our brokenness and separation from God, but God did not create sinners. God created human beings in the Divine Image and God called us “very good” (Genesis 1:26-31).
As Christians we like to think of ourselves as sinners saved by grace while simultaneously elevating ourselves above those who, at least in our view, have not responded to God’s grace. We end up with categories like “former sinners” and “current sinners” or “saved” and “unsaved”. Such dichotomies may make us feel better about our own status with God, but they are false dichotomies. Jesus seems to identify with those we call “sinners” or “unsaved” in the same way he identifies with his disciples. He treats them as friends. He goes to their homes and dines at their tables. He laughs with them and enjoys their company.
How can this be? How can a Holy God enjoy the company of unholy people? How can Jesus be seen partying with “sinners?”
Perhaps the real question is, “where would I be if Jesus didn’t hang out with sinners?” Because if Jesus had placed his holy reputation above his friendship with those we call “sinners”, than Jesus would have needed to avoid us as well.
Instead of asking Jesus why he is hanging out with those sinners, maybe we should be asking, “Jesus, why are you here at all?”
I imagine that’s the kind of question Levi and Zaccheus and the lepers and the adulterous woman and the Samaritan and so many others must have asked. “Jesus, why are you here? And why are you here with me?”
Video Clip: From “The Big Silence” (2012 BBC Documentary)
You can view the clip included in the message here. Scroll to time 7:20 to 9:50.