The Pharisees are grumbling against Jesus because He received sinners. What an irony this is! The glorious truths of grace that they opposed were the words they unconsciously stated, “He eats with sinners.” He welcomes sinners. They see it as a criticism but it’s actually a glorious affirmation of what His Father called Him to do. They condemn the thing that is His special delight.

You know, the sinful mind always deems evil good and good evil. As our culture plunges into unbiblical and godless liberalism, those who are trying to do good from a God-defined perspective will be defined as those who are evil. Then those who promote and exalt themselves and celebrate wickedness are applauded as those who do good. That’s what is happening here. They condemn Jesus because He receives sinners. Yet He’s not just receiving them, but He’s calling them to repentance. Now, we don’t want to let the liberals put their own twist on “how” Jesus received sinners, which they try so hard to do today, but He did receive them, AND called them to repent!

The beautiful thing is, not only does Jesus receive sinners and save them, He allows sinners to receive Him. He’s their source of eternal salvation. Both of these truths were held in the highest contempt by the religious leaders of the day.

He received all kinds of sinners. He received the rich, Joseph of Arimathea; He received the poor, Lazarus the beggar; He received the learned, Dionysius the Areopagite; He received physicians, Luke; He received soldiers, the Roman centurion at the cross; He received common fishermen, Peter and his brother; He received extortioners, Zaccheus and other tax collectors; He received thieves, the dying thief; He received harlots, the woman who was a sinner and repented and washed his feet with her hair; He received adulterers, the woman at the well in Samaria; He received persecutors and murderers, Saul of Tarsus; He received those possessed of devils, the man called Legion; He received backsliders, the Apostle Peter; He received executives and business folks, Lydia who sold purple; and on and on we could go.