"Sinner!"

Besides his disciples, who were the type of people Jesus spent time with and energy on during his ministry? Was it church deacons, pastors and saints? Pharisees? Only the ones whom society deemed “good enough?” NO! If you want to know the answer, all you have to do is think of those who most people, even some people within the church, would tend to avoid.

What did Jesus say when questioned by the church leaders of that day? They were always trying to question why Jesus would bother with the “least of these.” One beautiful story that comes to mind is in Luke 7, where Jesus was anointed with oil by a “sinful woman.” I imagine she was one that most “good” people stayed away from, in fear of “tarnishing their reputation.” I also imagine she was overlooked and ignored by the people who should have been ministering to her soul so that she would come to the only one who could forgive and restore her soul. But, by some miracle, she came to Jesus when he was eating at a Pharisee’s house, knowing he was there. She brought an expensive jar of perfume and as she stood at his feet, she was weeping…and wiping the tears off of his feet with her hair. Not only that, she poured the expensive perfume on his feet in an act of humility and love for him. She knew she had done wrong; she did not need other people telling her how sinful she was or treating her like an outcast. What she really needed was love…and Jesus, the forgiver of sins, to acknowledge and forgive her.

He turned to the Pharisees in the room who were put off by his response of love and acceptance of this “sinful woman” and said, “You did not give me any water for my feet…you did not put oil on my head, or give me a kiss…but she has done what is right.” Because she did what was right and came humbly before him, a broken sinner who knew how much she needed him and his forgiveness, Jesus said in front of all in the room, “I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” (vs. 44-47). Did Jesus condone her sinful lifestyle? Not by any means. Did he say, “It’s okay, don’t worry about it?” No. He saw her broken, contrite heart and said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

That is a beautiful picture of the way we need to love others; those who are living in sin, the broken, the unlovely, the neglected, forgotten, the homely and the homeless. What if Jesus had turned to her as soon as she came in to the room and said “Woman, you are a sinner. Leave immediately,” or he snubbed her or neglected her by “yucking it up” with his buddies with whom he was eating? It would have been a very different outcome for her. She may have been too hurt or angry to ever come back to him again if treated that way. Is that how we are “caring” for those who need him most? Or, how about even those who sit in the church pew next to us…the tired, weary single mom, the old unkempt person, or God forbid, the one who shows up in a leather vest and biker boots with tattoos all over their body. These are some of “the least of these” whom Jesus talks about in the Bible. The ones we MUST love and minister to; the ones who need him most.

Jesus spent time with and showed love and kindness to tax collectors, prostitutes, the crippled, the adulterer, and could it be *GASP* even the drunkards, etc. He knew who needed him most. He said it was not the well who needed him, but the sick. Would we ever even dream of going somewhere like the streets of Las Vegas or on Beale Street or Bourbon Street to reach out to the very ones Jesus would reach out to if he were living among us today? Is our compassion ONLY for our buddies, those in our families or our children’s friends? If so, priorities and focus needs to change if we are going to lead others to the cross so that they too can receive the wonderful gift of salvation that we have enjoyed. Eternity is a long time for someone to live in the wrong place when just a few simple acts of kindness, or in some cases even just kind acknowledgement of their existence, could change their eternal destiny.

We never know what battles someone else is facing, especially when they appear happy on the outside. We have to make a choice as to whether we are going to, as Jesus did, love and minister to “the least of these” or if we are going to ignore them and hope they go away? Don’t get me wrong, the church is full of people who do an amazing job of loving those who are often overlooked, the homeless, the unlovely, the rough-around-the-edges motorcycle guy with tattoos or those who are struggling physically. But I also think that far too many in our congregations could do so much better.

There have been several times where I, as a single mom, have felt left out, unnoticed, unrecognized (for my abilities that I really want to use) and unwanted in my church, no matter how loving and kind I have been. Some of the people who should know better often snub me. Not sure if it my single mom status that repels them or if it’s something else. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE my church (and the other churches through the years I have been part of at one time or another--I moved a lot when I was married.) However, I have been driven away from churches too because of the way I (a strong, faithful believer) have been treated by some people in the church.

When my focus gets more on them than the one I am there to worship and adore, then I have to re-adjust my focus and get it back on the one (and only one) that I am truly at church for, the Lord. He will never treat me that way. It is more important I go out of love for the Lord and in obedience to Him and spend that all-important time in corporate worship as well as learning more tools that I can use to help me in my walk with the Lord in a very difficult world.

Who are we to think we are better or too popular to reach out to the “undesirables” that often get overlooked (even some within our church walls)? Is there a sense of security some people have because they have it “all figured out” and are already comfy and cozy living for Christ that they somehow feel they are “too good” or “off the hook” when it comes to others (the lowly)? Or do they not want to look “uncool” by not being with the “cool people” around them? There is NEVER an excuse for that, no matter if you are the pastor of a large congregation or if you are the janitor.

Every one of us needs to have the humility and love for Jesus that this sinful woman had who came to Him, because really, we are all in the same exact boat. We are ALL sinners who fall short of the glory of God who need him in our lives to forgive us and heal the brokenness in our lives. We all sin, though differently, and should not judge someone whose sin is seen as “worse” than ours. However, that does not mean we condone or go along with (or take part in) their sin either.

Our ultimate goal should be to love people to the cross, not pretend they don’t exist or push them away by only loving the good looking, popular, happy, well to do person within our comfortable, cozy church walls. Jesus calls us to *gasp*, converse with and love the “wrong people.” If it is good enough for him to do, then we too can do it. We all need the Savior, no matter who we are, what we have been through or what our status is here on earth. I am so glad that Jesus does not say, “Clean yourself up first and when you are good enough, I will forgive you and receive you.” So why should we say that while we are enjoying a peace, joy-filled, forgiven life that everyone needs, even the “least of these?” We need to lead them to the Savior; He will take care of the rest (the “cleaning up” part).

By the way, we all need cleaning up, don’t we?