Jesus hates sin but loves the sinner, if He didn’t there would be no hope for any of us. Jesus was a friend to all, and in most circumstances He was hated for it.

In The Gospel of Luke, Jesus was constantly portrayed for His friendliness and His ability to get on with all sorts of people.

Mostly only the ‘religious’ were upset. Jesus befriended the down and outs of society. The Scribes and the Pharisees were always complaining that Jesus received sinners and eats with them.

Jesus also enjoyed a meal in the home of Zacchaeus, the most hatred man in Jericho. Jesus didn’t come to be popular with the popular, true to His Mission He remains friends of the social misfits. Jesus even promising paradise, to one of the thieves on the cross.

The Religious are looking for the Crowns and the glory. The self-righteous are looking at themselves better than others,  But the humble are looking for a friend, who understand them in their plights.

Society at the time realized, people going to the temple, acted differently on their religious days. in Acts chapter 3, a lame beggar had himself carried to beg outside it. It wasn’t the religious people who would be the greatest help, to the lame man, it was Peter and John, full of the Holy Spirit, that transformed his need.

Jesus befriended the people who were lowly in themselves, because  He could fill their needs. The Religious, the self-righteous,  are not looking for anything, better than what they understand, and anything they don’t understand, they dismissed as subversive.

For many Christians today it is easy to be a Pharisee, to have a judgmental attitude towards our culture that cuts us off from it.  But Jesus never became judgmental, He was neither aloof nor class orientated. In Jesus’ eyes, the quality of a friendship was more important than social background.

Jesus was a friend to all, should not we be like Jesus, and we don’t need to condone sin. and we unlike Jesus Who had no sin, need to be careful that the speck in {Matthew 7 verse 3} our own eyes stops us from befriending someone in need. { Luke 10 verse 33 The Good Samaritan Story}.

God Bless.

OFJ.