So recently I have been reflecting on the Lord's interactions with sinners. Why? Because we all are sinners. In the Bible we are told that Jesus hung out with sinners, even eating with them. Here is a great example from the Gospel of Matthew 9:10-13 NIV:
[10] "While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. [11] When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
[12] "On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. [13] But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
I want to focus on two things, one being Jesus' response concerning sinners, and the other being the classification of the people labeled "sinners".
I am going to start with the second thought - the people classified as sinners. My tendency when I read this is to assume that I wouldn't be in that list of people who were considered sinners. They are the "bad" people, maybe prostitutes, tax-collectors, loan-sharks, gamblers, or even pimps (or whatever they called them in their day) clearly a group of people I wouldn't consider myself a part of normally. This morning as I was reading this, I realized that my normal classification was wrong!
Looking at the definition of the word that is translated sinners (Verse 13) it is the plural of Hamartano a Greek word defined as follows:
1) to be without a share in
2) to miss the mark
3) to err, be mistaken
4) to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong
5) to wander from the law of God, violate God's law, sin
Putting these in very modern language:
1) everyone who bought a Megamillions ticket but didn't win (It was for $1B last night) and everyone who didn't buy a ticket - they have no share in the prize
2) to miss the target you are shooting at, specifically missing the bullseye (that is the mark). If you miss by 1 inch or 1 foot or 1 mile, you miss.
3) You think you know something, but find out you are wrong about anything at all
4) You are on a diet and you cheat a little and have that donut that is calling your name, or you go 56mph in a 55mph zone, or you say something bad about someone you know.
5) Pretty much our traditional understanding of the 10 commandments, plus whatever else gets added by your local church expression
When we look at this more modern list, or even the original definition the one thing that stands out to me, is the first four primary definitions are really wide, and likely include pretty much everyone reading this, including me. This is a much wider swath than some list of 10 or 20 or even 100 sins to avoid. So the question that comes to my mind, is how to rightly define sin??
I think about sin as defined two ways, both of which encompass this wide swath as described above. First, I think of sin as doing something that Jesus wouldn't do. We know that He lived a perfect, sinless life. He didn't have all the exact same opportunities that we do, but when we say He didn't sin, it means He did exactly what the Father told Him to do, and said exactly what the Father told Him to say, every day of His life! If that is how we define sin for Jesus, then that is the way we should define it for us!
Secondly, I define sin as not fulfilling God's purpose and plan and will for me in a given instant, or opportunity. This directly points back to my first definition, as this is how Jesus lived, as a man. I am capable of walking in obedience, intimacy and hearing and seeing what the Lord directs me to do, but often times I miss it, or sometimes I know fully well what He is asking me to do, and don't do it. I find that in some big areas of my life, I am pretty close to living in line with His plan and purpose and will, but pretty much every time I get one area of my life straightened out, I find that there is some new area that I hadn't even thought about before, often smaller or deeper in my heart, and not previously apparent.
Growing up I read about many of the Saints, as recognized by the Catholic church, and I was always amazed how each and everyone of them considered themselves as big sinners. It was like the closer they got to being like Jesus, the more aware they were of how they weren't like Him. Most would never have considered themselves saints, yet all aspired to be as much like Jesus as they could. Their understanding of sin, and being a sinner, was clearly different then mine at the time, and much more in line with the wider and more inclusive definition of sin as described above. If we consider the Saints like professional or Olympic archers, we can maybe grasp their perspective. An Olympic archer, still misses the mark (bullseye). They don't miss it anywhere as often as I would, but they still miss. As someone who can hit the mark most of the time, I think they actually feel worse when they do miss, then someone like me, who rejoices the one or two times I actually hit the bullseye!
So back to the definition of sin, I believe that taking a broader approach and more inclusive definition is better for us. First, we are less likely to judge someone else, for we all fit that definition. Secondly, rather than reducing our awareness of our sin, this should help us see ourselves in a more accurate light. We are all sinners, and whether we are missing the mark regularly, or only once in a while, by an inch or by 10 feet, we are all missing the mark. We are all striving towards the same goal, and although Paul uses the race analogy, we aren't competing against each other. We are striving to be like Jesus, each and everyone of us, and we are all failing! We need His mercy, His compassion (understanding what we are like) and His forgiveness, all the time!!!
I want to go back to the story of Jesus eating with sinners to look at His response, which according to my my definition of Jesus living a perfect sinless life (And according to plenty of scripture, not just my definition!), was perfectly inline with what the Father told him to do and say. So we can conclude that Jesus is perfectly representing the Father in this story (Heb 1:3). Thus, when Jesus responds, He is responding with the same heart and words of the Father. Jesus said that He came to call the sinners (to relationship with Him is the inference)! In other words rather than rejecting sinners, He was inviting them to relationship and Jesus was demonstrating this very thing during this particular dinner! This is so much not the judging and punishing God that is often portrayed to us. He was reaching towards the sinners (me included), inviting them, getting to know them, not rejecting them for their sin, but rather seeing the value in them and desirous of relationship in spite of their failings! Wow that is Good News!
Finally, if we go back to the wider definition of sin, including in that "sinners" label all that are not like Jesus, all that are missing the mark, all that are not fulfilling God's plan, purpose and will in their lives, then I think we need to expand our label to include every single person in Matthew's house that night! In other words, if we were there, we would be included in that sinner label! We aren't better then anyone else in that House, or in our church on Sunday, or in our neighborhood, or at work! We are all sinners! Each and every one of us! We all need God's mercy, love and compassion! We all need forgiveness!
So this morning as I read these verses I am aware that I am one of those sinners that Jesus was talking about, one of those sick that needed a doctor, one who should be grateful for the invitation to relationship with Jesus! I am aware of God's mercy! I am aware of His Love! I am aware that He understands my condition, my weakness, my failings, and my disobedience and yet He still invites me to relationship! He is so much better than I thought, so much more merciful, compassionate and forgiving that I just cannot grasp His goodness! Thank You Lord for loving me and not rejecting me!
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