Is Jesus the Friend of Sinners?

Dan A. Rodriguez Articles, Books, and Podcasts

Was Jesus the friend of sinners? Was He always at their parties and their social meetings? People have very strange ideas about Jesus that are unfounded, skewed, or simply twisted.

Are we to be friends with the world? Some deceived Christians go so far as to act, dress, get tattoos, sing, gyrate, dance, and speak the foul language of the world. Is that what we are supposed to do?

Jesus said His followers are supposed to be salt and light in this world (Matthew 5:13, 14). Instead, many have become fluff and cotton candy! Many are more interested in political and religious correctness than in being salt and light. Many churches are looking for social, government, or media acceptance.

Are you looking for the glory of God or for the glory of men? What do you want?

What are the followers of Jesus supposed to be? We are supposed to be a preservative in this world (like salt) and not a contributor to its rot or decomposition! Salt is supposed to sting and make you very uncomfortable! Have you ever put salt in a wound on purpose? Taking a bath in the ocean with a few scrapes and cuts will make them sting but it will help to speed up the healing process. Sea salt is a natural anti-inflammatory and antibiotic. It’s been used for thousands of years. For the sin infection on this planet, we are the salt of the earth!

Are you being salty or just annoying? There is a difference between beating someone on the head with Bible verses out of frustration, hurt, anger, or hatred, and being salty by the power of the Spirit through the Word. The salt Jesus is talking about flows from the Spirit. It is something Jesus displays through you to those around you as you take an uncompromising stand against evil, darkness, lawlessness, and sin.

Paul did that before Governor Felix and it made him tremble with fear (Acts 24:24, 25). The conviction of the Holy Spirit against sin and unrighteousness made Felix tremble (John 16:9-11). When this convicting and revealing power of the Holy Spirit comes through, the naysayers want to stick their fingers in their ears because they can’t stand it (Acts 7:54, 57)!

We are supposed to expose the darkness through the light of Christ shining through us. We are not to fellowship with the darkness! (See 2 Cor. 6:14; Ephesians 5:6-14; John 3:20, 21.)

In 1984, a little old lady made us listen to her aggravation with hamburger joints that had little beef patties inside their huge bread buns. She was a part of a promotional campaign by Wendy’s hamburger restaurants against their competitors, Burger King and McDonald’s. Her name was Clara Peller, a little old Jewish lady with a gutsy voice and a no nonsense question. She would look straight into the camera and say with a stern face and angry tone, “Where’s the beef?!” Her, “Where’s the beef?” became famous. Remember her?

Jesus in effect said something to the effect of: “Where’s the salt and where’s the light?” Frankly, it has been missing on many fronts in Christianity. There is plenty of fluff and cotton candy, but little beef!

Some quote out of context verses to uphold a sugarcoated Christianity that assuages the world. They use them as an excuse to participate with the world and go to their banquets and parties. Some Christians use it to act like the world in song and dance.

One pastor’s wife turned into a singing and dancing sensation. She gyrated, pumped her behind, wore skimpy dance attire, and sensually gyrated into frenzy. Is that the way a Holy Spirit-filled woman should act? Is that the way a worship leader on Sundays should act the rest of the week? Should a married Christian woman be doing lustful videos with gangster music stars? Does that represent Jesus in any way? If you believe that is good or OK, you have been fooled and deceived.

That being stated, here is a verse some use as an excuse to be like the world.

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ʻLook at him, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!ʼ But wisdom is vindicated by her deeds (Matthew 11:19 NET).

Note that Jesus did not say He was a friend to sinners. Read it again. People that wanted to hurt His ministry said that about Him. He did not say that about Himself, His staff, or His ministry! Jesus objected to their assessment of His ministry and lifestyle. Jesus moved by divine guidance and wisdom as demonstrated by what He did. The results were evident in His life and ministry. His vindication against the accusations of those that were jealous and wanted to destroy Him was that His deeds proved to whom He belonged and whom He served. The actions of wisdom demonstrated throughout His ministry vindicated Him from the accusers! Those that hated Him and His ministry were made dumb and stupid before the demonstrations of God in His life.

Let’s read some more in this vein of thought. This issue needs to be settled in the hearts of believers.

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him. As Jesus was having a meal in Matthewʼs house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard this he said, “Those who are healthy donʼt need a physician, but those who are sick do. Go and learn what this saying means: ʻI want mercy and not sacrifice.ʼ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:9-13 NET).

Notice the word "call". Jesus came to call sinners- to what? Look at Mark 1:14,15.

Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God. He said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel!” (NET)

He came to call sinners to repentance, to seek and save that which is lost (Luke 19:10)! Jesus did not come to buddy around with sinners and to go to all their ungodly activities.

Although He was eating at Matthew’s house, He was there because He had called Matthew to be a part of His group of apostles. Jesus was interested in the call of God and in repentance. If He sat with sinners for a meal it was not to buddy with them and “hang out” with ungodly folk, but to call them to repent of their sins and turn to God. This is a VERY important distinction.

Jesus never ever compromised the truth of God or the holiness of God over a meal or party. He was ever mindful of the word of His Father and would never lay aside His righteousness. Jesus hated lawlessness and loved righteousness (Hebrews 1:9). All sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4) so Jesus hated ALL sin!

Did you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4 NASB).

There is a prevailing deception roaming among a large group of Christians today. Many think we have to be like the world in its social activities and agendas. Some agree with the world and its antichrist ideas and philosophy, even accepting the LGBTQ agenda. Some churches have become country clubs or socialite centers. Others have become self-help centers promoting a selfish, self-centered ‘gospelette’. What they teach and preach is a far cry from the faith that was delivered once and for all to the saints (those separated unto God by living a holy life- Jude 1:3, 4.)

Jesus, the apostles, and the early church would be disgusted at all the trash many teach today as ‘the gospel’! They would look at it and say, “Blasphemy!” Many would be turned over to Satan so that they would learn not to blaspheme (1 Timothy 1:20).

If you read the book of Acts objectively, you will see some glaring dissimilarities between what the apostles called the Church of the living God and what many today call the church. It takes no rocket science to observe the stark differences! Today most churches are puny and powerless. Many have hype, hoopla, media presentations, and a good show, but little to no power from heaven. That must and will have to change the closer we get to the coming of the Lord! I believe the change is already under way, but there is much that must change before we can be presented to the as a church without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing. The church the Lord Jesus will present unto Himself at His appearing will be glorious, holy, and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:26, 27)

Sorry to burst your bubble (not really), but the Lord Jesus will not be presenting to Himself a whoring church that practices witchcraft, fornication, drunkenness, lasciviousness, and love for the lawlessness, sin, and darkness of the world. God won’t be presenting to Jesus a church full of murderers that agree with the murder of the unborn, nor will He allow those that accept or practice the LGBTQ lifestyle.

Fuss all you want, but the New Testament lists of those that will not be inheriting the kingdom (rule or reign) of God are extremely clear. See Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; Ephesians 5:3-5, 18; Colossians 3:5, 6; and Revelation 21:9 (NKJV, NET, AMP). Look at the verses in a few translations like the ones I suggest. The people that practice the sins mentioned in those lists will not get a “welcome to heaven and have a great eternity”. Those that practice lawlessness (“sin is lawlessness”- 1 John 3:4) will be rejected by the Lord and told, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:23 NKJV) That will be a day of surprise and extreme horror for many that thought they would make heaven regardless of the sin they practiced upon the earth.

When was the last time you heard a demon scream out in a service and saw the pastor cast it out?

When was the last time you saw someone in a church service baptized in the Holy Spirit and speaking with tongues?

How many people are healed every week at your church? Recently, have any cripples walked off healed?

When was the last time Ananias and Sapphira died at your church?

When was the last time they brought out the sick and demon possessed to the street by your church so you could pray for them, and they would be healed and delivered?

When was the last time your church had miracles, signs and wonders, and people fell down on their faces and cried out to God saying that He was truly in your midst?

Church it is time to repent and get back to doing the works of Jesus and greater than those He did! (John 14:12)

Can you hear the Master saying today what He said to the churches in Asia Minor in Revelation chapters two and three? The Lord Jesus is rebuking the churches today and saying, “REPENT!” (See Revelation 2:5, 16, 21, 3:3, 19.) Are you ready for a repentance revolution and a supernatural awakening that will open the door to a manifestation of God’s Spirit like this world has not seen?

Bad company and good morals

Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals. Sober up as you should, and stop sinning! For some have no knowledge of God - I say this to your shame (1 Corinthians 15:33-34 NET)!

Who are you spending your time with? Godly or ungodly folks? Based on this scriptural truth some sayings have come from it.

A proverbial saying in Spanish is: "Dime con quien andas y yo te diré quien tu eres." Translated it states: "Show me who you walk with, and I will tell you who you are". Don't tell me you spend time with drunks and drug addicts and you are walking differently. You lie! Who you walk with will be a determining factor of who you are!

We are not to walk in the way of sinners, nor sit with the scornful, nor follow the counsel of the ungodly! Our delight MUST be in the Word (or law-Torah) of the Lord! (See Psalms 1:1-3.) That is where the blessing of the Lord is!

The more time you spend rubbing shoulders with the world in acceptance, the more of the world that will rub off on you. It’s unavoidable. Your morals will eventually suffer. You will begin to ease off of a righteous position in Christ and begin to slide into complacency, tolerance of evil, and finally acceptance of evil and evil ways.

One way that Satan is effectively using to lull Christians into acceptance of evil is through sitcoms and programming that indulges in evil and darkness. Spend time watching whoredom, fornication, adultery, same-sex marriage, lesbianism, homosexuality, murder, hatred, lust, covetousness, crime, and injustice, and what do you think will happen to you? Many Christians feed on this trash for hours every week and feed their hearts one good Christian meal a week at some churches! Well, at least in some churches who actually teach the Bible! Who do you think will prevail when you need to take a stand? You are being softened up for the kill by the devil and demons as you spend mindless hours watching sitcoms and other programming that exalts sin, carnality, lust, and darkness.

Here are some Scripture references to further establish these points. If you think about it, you can probably come up with another dozen more.

Romans 12:2

Prov. 13:30

1Cor. 5:11

Pro. 14:7

Ps. 26:4-5

Ps. 1:1-4

Pro. 4:14-15

Pro. 28:7

1Cor. 5:6

2 Cor. 6:14-15

Eph. 5:6-7

Rev. 18:4

Cp. 1Cor. 15:33 and Joshua 23:1-16

Heb. 12:1- entanglement of sin

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