Dining With ‘Sinners’

As an evangelist, I often remind believers that Jesus was a friend of sinners and that He dined with tax collectors and prostitutes. I’ve done this to challenge them to build relationships with the lost and seek to show them the love of Jesus.

It’s a good reminder.

But a powerful truth that I need to include with this reminder is that many, if not most (if not all), of those sinners left these dinner parties with Jesus permanently spiritually transformed.

Jesus was not agreeing with or ignoring their sins. By his mere presence he was confronting their sins. And he most likely shared with them his thoughts about their sins. A simple reading of Matthew 5 shows clearly that Jesus had no problem confronting the sins of sinners and even helping them/us see the depths of their/our depravity.

Confronting Sin With Grace

If we could hear those dinner table conversations between Jesus and the sinners around him, I’m sure it would be equal parts confronting of sin and extending of grace.

This is exactly what happened in Luke 19, when Jesus invited himself over to dine with a notorious tax-collecting sinner’s house for dinner. Jesus’s mere presence seems to have deeply convicted Zacchaeus of his sin and need for a Savior.

As a result, not only did the Z man believe, but he also took decisive action against his own sinfulness by making wrong things right.

Listen to the words of Dr. Luke:

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:7-10)

Friendships That Change Hearts

Zacchaeus put his faith in Jesus and then took action to change his ways as a result of his encounter with Jesus.