JESUS THE FRIEND OF SINNERS
It is interesting that mortals on earth could hold the key to huge celebrations in heaven. I knew earthlings depended on heavenly interventions for a happy life, but I never imagined that heaven will require the obedience of men to stir up great rejoicing in the courtyards of heaven
Well, that was until I stumbled on this verse one day whilst reading the 15th chapter of the biography of Jesus Christ according to St. Luke.
In the stated chapter, Jesus was addressing an accusation made against him by the most prominent theological sect of his day; the Pharisees! The accusation was about the apparent glee with which he, the supposed messiah is often found in the company of sinners, a most disdainful thing in the eyes of the Pharisees who consider sinners unclean and unworthy of the companion of the righteous or maybe the self-righteous of their day.
These Pharisee’s were there, when Jesus openly feasted with a known tax collector; Levi and his band of sinners in Luke 5. And they are yet to recover from the indecent scene they witnessed in the house of a fellow Pharisee in Luke 7, as Jesus, having been invited to a dinner program, watched on as a known sinner, a woman of the city caressed and kissed his feet whilst rubbing them with a Jar of precious alabaster perfume.
Most Pharisee’s seems baffled by this attitude of Jesus, as Jesus clearly does not operate within the known patterns of the prophets they’ve grown to so much admire. Many questions crossed their minds as some wonder why he so loves the company of sinners instead of avoiding them. Interestingly they’ve noticed how he fiercely resists the self- righteous arrogance of their sect since age 12, when he engaged them in the temple, debating and denouncing their teachings for three days whilst his parents searched for him all through Jerusalem. He has since not relented in calling them hypocrites and brood of vipers and once declared that he came for sinners and not for the (self) righteous (Pharisees).
The lingering question on the mind of many in the days of Jesus has always been this; why does he love the company of sinners? Well, he gave a clue in Luke 15, when he likened the sinner to a missing coin (from 10 pieces) that belonged to a woman. Read from the verse 8 and follow his thoughts below;
““Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Count on it—that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.”
Luke 15:8-10 (Msg)
Jesus is saying something interesting here; he seems to be suggesting that Heaven relies on earth to draw up their party time-table. That a man who’s every act is focused on winning souls is a man that unlocks the mood of heaven; that man becomes the difference between a dull moment and a jubilant one in heaven; that man is one who understands what it means to please the father and make him happy.
For me, that means anyone of us, reading this now, can trigger an immediate celebration in heaven, all you need to do is to step out in faith and lead an unbeliever into the saving arms of Jesus.
This explains why Jesus is not uncomfortable to be found in the company of sinners, as this gives him great opportunity to impact salvation by the word. I remember how he forsook his lunch so a Samaritan lady will receive the word that will transform her from a serial divorcee into a mighty Evangelist. Jesus clearly understood the impact soul winning has in the courtyards of heaven; how all of heaven looks out for the next moment an unbeliever will receive the life of Christ. How an angel is eagerly anticipating, with a trumpet on his lips, to herald the salvation of a lost child of the father with the throwing of a lavish party.
I remember how the father received the prodigal son in Luke 15, how he ordered for the fattened lamb to be slain for him, how the entire household was thrown into wild celebrations to herald the return of the lost son. What an impact, soul winning does have on the entire kingdom of heaven.
You too can make such an impact today, like Jesus, make soul winning a passion, pursue the lost, become all thing to all men, help people find love in the bosom of Christ and see them planted in the church. Cause a celebration in heaven today and watch the father glorify you in this life and in the life after.