Friday, August 05, 2011

Tax Gatherers and Sinners

Jesus would spend time hangng with bad people. He would talk to them. He would listen to them. He would eat with them.

Many think that keeping pure means avoiding associating with certain types of people. (Read: bad people.) If someone spends time with these people, who they are can rub off on who you are.

Many think that association gives implicit approval. If someone is with them and does not loudly condemn their actions, choices or lifestyle, it is the same as saying "You are OK! What you do is OK!"

Many think that associating with these people will tarnish their reputation. If someone is with them, then they must be like them.

Was Jesus concerned about any of these things? It really doesn't seem like it. It seems more like Jesus decided that whatever is important deserves his personal attention.Those of us who want to walk with God know that he gives us his personal attention so we learn to walk stronger, better, with more obedience, more intimacy, more abundance, more like we are designed to walk. We also that many do not walk with him. We know his heart on this. He gives that his personal attention too. And he has decided that his presence in a situation makes all the difference in the world. His presence gives the situation a strong push in a positive direction.

So, maybe those things are true. And maybe within the heart of God, the possibility of temptation, of giving the wrong impression or of damaging a reputation comes second to bringing Jesus into a particular arena.

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