“30 Pictures of Jesus” 30 Day PlanНамуна

Today we see Jesus as the Friend of Sinners.

From the beginning, God has not stood far off from humanity. He formed us in his image, walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, and delighted to be near his creatures. Even when they sinned and hid in shame, God pursued them, clothing their nakedness and promising rescue. God’s story with humanity is one of relentless friendship.

This same steadfast love is seen throughout Israel’s history. Again and again, God’s people turned away from him, chasing idols and breaking covenant. But God did not abandon them. He pursued them through the wilderness, through exile, and through their rebellions. Like a faithful friend, he bore with their failures, forgave their sins, and promised to remain with them.

It is in this light that we see Jesus sitting at a table with tax collectors and sinners. When the Pharisees questioned why he would eat with such people, Jesus answered: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. … I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12–13). His table fellowship was not a scandal to hide but the very heart of his mission.

Later, in Matthew 11, Jesus was mocked as “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19). The insult was meant to discredit him. But it revealed the truth of who he is. Jesus is the God who has always pursued his wayward people, now in flesh and blood, sharing meals and lives with the broken and outcast. He is the friend who draws near when everyone else pulls away.

This is good news. We do not have to make ourselves righteous before God will come close. He draws near to us in our sin and shame. He sits at our table, calls us his friends, and by his friendship changes us. And when all other friendships fail, his love endures forever.