What does it mean that Jesus is a friend of sinners?

Answer

The fact that Jesus is a friend of sinners implies that He is our companion, eagerly waiting for us to recognize His presence and willingness to engage with us. God’s love for us is nearly unimaginable. When we contemplate Jesus’ Incarnation—His decision to leave heaven and be born as a vulnerable human infant to live and experience life among us—we start to grasp the profound depth of that love. When we also consider His sacrificial death on the cross, it is truly astounding.

By being a “friend of sinners,” Jesus willingly immersed Himself in a fallen, corrupted world, acknowledging that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” «for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; », (Romans 3:23). Despite our sinful nature, Jesus seeks a connection with us.

The term “friend of sinners” originates from similar passages in the Gospels. “Jesus continued, ‘To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: ‘We played the pipe for you, / and you did not dance; / we sang a dirge, / and you did not cry.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners'”‘ (Luke 7:31–34;cf: Matthew 11:16–19).

In this passage, Jesus highlights the spiritual immaturity of those who viewed themselves as the “righteous” and the most “spiritual.” They relied on strict adherence to rituals, laws, and outward appearances to define their righteousness instead of truly understanding God’s heart and fostering a genuine relationship with Him. They criticized JesusFor spending time with the outcasts and socially unacceptable people, calling Him a “friend of sinners.”

The story of the lost sheep shows the importance of the lost and vulnerable, those who have wandered away from the place of security. To God, the lost are so important that He will search for them until they are found and brought back to safety. “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ Then Jesus told them this parable: ‘Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?'” (Luke 15:1-4).

Jesus made it clear that He had “come to seek and to save the lost” “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10). He was willing to associate with those who were, by the standards of the self-righteous Pharisees, not good enough. But it was those who were open to hearing Christ, and they mattered to God!

Matthew 9:10–13 relates another time when Jesus was ridiculed by the religious leaders for His associations. He answers them by saying, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (verse 13).

In Luke 4:18, Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1–2: “The Spirit of the LORD is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor.” In order to preach the good news to the poor, the prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed, Jesus had to have some contact with them.

Jesus did not condone sin or participate in the destructive behaviors of the ungodly. Being a “friend of sinners,”Jesus demonstrated that “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance” «Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? », (Romans 2:4). Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life and had the “authority on earth to forgive sins” «But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. », (Luke 5:24). As a result, we have the chance to undergo a changed heart and life.

Jesus, our companion, spent time with sinners, not to partake in their sinful behavior but to offer them the good news of available forgiveness. Many sinners were changed by His life-giving words—Zacchaeus being a notable instance (Luke 19:1-10).

When Jesus’ adversaries labeled Him a “friend of sinners,” they intended it as an insult. To His honor and our everlasting benefit, Jesus endured such insults and became “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” «A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.», (Proverbs 18:24).