Lk. 15: 1-2, “Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, ‘This Man receives sinners and eats with them.’”The best and worst spoken about Jesus Christ was that He ate with sinners and tax collectors. Jesus said, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10). Jesus’ ministry toward the lowest and least in society angered the Pharisees who represented the religious system of their day. Jesus declared war on the Pharisees’ hypocrisy, hatred, pride, contempt, disdain and despising of others who did not live up to their self-imposed standards. Jesus declared war on the religious system that misrepresented God’s heart and kept people in bondage. The Latin root meaning of “religion” is “a return to bondage.” Jesus challenged the Pharisees with His radical statement in Matt. 11: 28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” This was a declaration of war on the Pharisee religious system.
Pharisees bragged about coming under the burden of “the yoke of the law” and their man-made merit system. Jesus declared His yoke was to rest in Him. 1 Jn. 4:8 states “God is love.” Contempt for others cannot exist in love. Unfortunately, the Pharisee religion is alive and well in many places today. It is best portrayed with the attitude, “I have a revelation of God no one else has.” Soon the religious folk begin looking down their noses at others, even displaying disgust and contempt toward them since they alone are superior and special to God. Soon they are standing like the Pharisee of Jesus’ parable of the tax collector and Pharisee who went to the temple to pray in Lk. 18:9-14! Religion produces prejudice which excludes others, even to the extreme of “I’ll kill you for the glory of God!” This religious attitude was demonstrated by Saul of Tarsus, crusades of the Middle Ages, and currently exists in Islam extremists and apostate Christianity. The only difference in apostate Christianity is that they don’t physically kill; they just ex-communicate and set up legalistic rules that must be kept or else you’re out! Jesus’ love for the least and the Pharisee religious attitude is best portrayed by three particular groups mentioned in scriptures: 1) Tax collectors 2) Sinners, and 3) Samaritans.
Tax collectors - During the Roman occupation, tax franchises were sold to favored, influential Roman businessmen. They, in turn, would hire a chief tax collector over a region. Under the chief tax collector were a series of sub-tax collectors. The Romans had very little success collecting taxes themselves, so they determined that only a Jew could catch a Jew and they hired all Jews as collectors. Tax collectors were considered to be traitors to the other Jews. They were especially hated by Pharisees who were successful businessmen, loved money, and had the most to lose. Tax collectors were known as “sewer rats” and “pariah dogs,” less than human. Pharisees set up “laws” concerning tax collectors:
· They were not permitted to testify in court because they could never tell the truth.
· They could never hold any public office.
· They were not permitted to give alms in the temple.
· They could never enter heaven.
· They were considered to be unclean.
Now, here comes Jesus into this environment of hatred in Matt. 9:9-13. Jesus passed Matthew, a tax collector, and said, “Follow Me.” Matthew left his tax table and immediately followed. Afterward, Jesus entertained tax collectors and sinners. Imagine being with Peter, James, John, and the rest of Jesus’ disciples who were brought up in this culture and being interrogated by Pharisees, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus’ action was not only shocking; it was scandalous! I’m sure His disciples thought, “We’ll be ex-communicated from the temple!” Jesus’ compassion and love was greater than public opinion. Jesus loved people but did not condone their sin. He just loved them where they were! Then the greatest public relations nightmare of all occurred! Lk. 19: 1-10 details Jesus at a great celebration in Jericho when He passed by the “chief tax collector,” Zacchaeus, who was rich from taxes collected from fellow Jews. He was the greatest traitor of all to his fellow Jews — the mafia godfather of his day! What was Jesus’ reaction to such a man? “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” Repentance immediately followed for Zacchaeus and caused Jesus to declare, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he is also a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Sinners -The term “sinner” was used exclusively by the Pharisees in describing those who were not like themselves and did not meet their standards. Jesus used the term “sinner” only when He was quoting or upbraiding the Pharisees. How often do we hear the term “sinner” today? Just the sound of the word “S-i-n-n-e-r” gives off a sense of contempt and despising. Jesus used the term “lost” when describing people bound by sin. The entire 15th chapter of Luke’s gospel is devoted to the “lost.” Jesus gives parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and finally the lost son to the scribes and Pharisees who had accused Him of receiving and eating with sinners. The Pharisees had a popular saying, “There is joy in heaven when a sinner dies and enters hell.” Jesus responded, “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Lk. 15:7). The parable of the lost son demonstrated the heart of Father God toward the lost and also displayed the Pharisaical attitude of the elder brother who was angry at his father’s love and reconciliation toward his younger brother (Lk. 15: 11-32).
Samaritans - Jews vehemently hated Samaritans. Pharisees especially hated Samaritans because of their mixed religion which was a result of Israel’s history of disobedience and subsequent captivity by the Assyrians. The Assyrians removed the ten northern tribes of Israel and replaced them with people from all the other conquered countries who did not fear the Lord. When these people came into the land, they were attacked by lions. These people asked the king of Assyria to send them a priest who would teach them the rituals of the Lord so they would not be attacked by lions. 2 Kgs. 17: 33 states they feared the Lord yet served their own gods. A mixed religion of Judaism and paganism resulted. Tax collectors were hated; however, Samaritans were hated even more! If a Jew wanted to travel from Jerusalem to Galilee, the direct route was through Samaria. A Jew, especially a Pharisee, would travel 100 miles around Samaria rather than the direct route to avoid contact or even the sight of a Samaritan. Each week in synagogue, Pharisees would publicly curse all Samaritans. If a Pharisee found a Samaritan child in trouble, he would not harm the child, but he would not help it either because it was better for that child to die rather than grow up to adulthood as a Samaritan. Of course, Pharisees declared Samaritans could never have eternal life. Early in Jesus’ ministry when Pharisees were comparing the number of baptisms His disciples were doing versus the disciples of John the Baptist, Jesus left Judea and departed to Galilee. Jn. 4:4 states, “But He needed to go through Samaria.” That shouldn’t happen, no one went through Samaria!
Jesus had a divine assignment with a wayward woman at Jacob’s well. Not only would this woman be considered to be a “sinner”; she was also a Samaritan! This incident resulted in many Samaritans believing in Jesus Christ. The parable of parables is recorded in Lk. 10: 25-37. We know this parable as the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus gave this parable to a scribe who asked, “And who is my neighbor?” Pharisees believed that only other Pharisees were worthy enough to be considered a neighbor. They considered the commandment “to love your neighbor as yourself” to apply only to other Pharisees, certainly not the common people, let alone the hated Samaritans. Jesus began His parable with a situation that occurred quite frequently; a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho was mugged and left for dead. Everyone knew how dangerous this road was and no one traveled it alone for fear of thieves. The scribe also understood why the priest and the Levite avoided the wounded man in the ditch. The man may have died and their religious ritual forbade them from touching a dead man because they would be considered “unclean.” So they avoided the man in case he was dead and basically left him for dead. When Jesus told that a certain Samaritan came by, I’m sure that the scribe thought that would certainly be the end of the wounded man’s life for Samaritans were always the “bad guys” in similar stories told by Jews. However, when Jesus said that the Samaritan had compassion on the wounded man, tending to his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, setting him on his own animal and carrying him to an inn where he paid for the care of the man and guaranteed any future payment for care beyond what his money would cover, the scribe would have been totally shocked, nearly speechless, so much so that when Jesus asked the scribe, “So which of these do you think was the neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”, the scribe could not even say the word “Samaritan”, so he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Jesus simply ended the scribe’s interrogation with, “Go and do likewise.”
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost and in doing so He destroyed the works of the devil (1 Jn. 3:8). Jesus loved the lowest and the least in society – those who were in Satan’s clutches living under the curse of the law. I have had to examine my own pharisaical attitudes and areas of my hardened heart and repent of them. I know that I am not alone. Oh, how our world needs Jesus’ kind of love to go in the ditches of life and pour oil (healing power of Holy Spirit), and wine (joy of Holy Spirit) on the victims of Satan’s schemes. Paul gives us the perfect prescription in Phil. 2:5, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” So, brothers and sisters – “Go and do likewise.” Amen.
Pharisees bragged about coming under the burden of “the yoke of the law” and their man-made merit system. Jesus declared His yoke was to rest in Him. 1 Jn. 4:8 states “God is love.” Contempt for others cannot exist in love. Unfortunately, the Pharisee religion is alive and well in many places today. It is best portrayed with the attitude, “I have a revelation of God no one else has.” Soon the religious folk begin looking down their noses at others, even displaying disgust and contempt toward them since they alone are superior and special to God. Soon they are standing like the Pharisee of Jesus’ parable of the tax collector and Pharisee who went to the temple to pray in Lk. 18:9-14! Religion produces prejudice which excludes others, even to the extreme of “I’ll kill you for the glory of God!” This religious attitude was demonstrated by Saul of Tarsus, crusades of the Middle Ages, and currently exists in Islam extremists and apostate Christianity. The only difference in apostate Christianity is that they don’t physically kill; they just ex-communicate and set up legalistic rules that must be kept or else you’re out! Jesus’ love for the least and the Pharisee religious attitude is best portrayed by three particular groups mentioned in scriptures: 1) Tax collectors 2) Sinners, and 3) Samaritans.
Tax collectors - During the Roman occupation, tax franchises were sold to favored, influential Roman businessmen. They, in turn, would hire a chief tax collector over a region. Under the chief tax collector were a series of sub-tax collectors. The Romans had very little success collecting taxes themselves, so they determined that only a Jew could catch a Jew and they hired all Jews as collectors. Tax collectors were considered to be traitors to the other Jews. They were especially hated by Pharisees who were successful businessmen, loved money, and had the most to lose. Tax collectors were known as “sewer rats” and “pariah dogs,” less than human. Pharisees set up “laws” concerning tax collectors:
· They were not permitted to testify in court because they could never tell the truth.
· They could never hold any public office.
· They were not permitted to give alms in the temple.
· They could never enter heaven.
· They were considered to be unclean.
Now, here comes Jesus into this environment of hatred in Matt. 9:9-13. Jesus passed Matthew, a tax collector, and said, “Follow Me.” Matthew left his tax table and immediately followed. Afterward, Jesus entertained tax collectors and sinners. Imagine being with Peter, James, John, and the rest of Jesus’ disciples who were brought up in this culture and being interrogated by Pharisees, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus’ action was not only shocking; it was scandalous! I’m sure His disciples thought, “We’ll be ex-communicated from the temple!” Jesus’ compassion and love was greater than public opinion. Jesus loved people but did not condone their sin. He just loved them where they were! Then the greatest public relations nightmare of all occurred! Lk. 19: 1-10 details Jesus at a great celebration in Jericho when He passed by the “chief tax collector,” Zacchaeus, who was rich from taxes collected from fellow Jews. He was the greatest traitor of all to his fellow Jews — the mafia godfather of his day! What was Jesus’ reaction to such a man? “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” Repentance immediately followed for Zacchaeus and caused Jesus to declare, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he is also a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Sinners -The term “sinner” was used exclusively by the Pharisees in describing those who were not like themselves and did not meet their standards. Jesus used the term “sinner” only when He was quoting or upbraiding the Pharisees. How often do we hear the term “sinner” today? Just the sound of the word “S-i-n-n-e-r” gives off a sense of contempt and despising. Jesus used the term “lost” when describing people bound by sin. The entire 15th chapter of Luke’s gospel is devoted to the “lost.” Jesus gives parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and finally the lost son to the scribes and Pharisees who had accused Him of receiving and eating with sinners. The Pharisees had a popular saying, “There is joy in heaven when a sinner dies and enters hell.” Jesus responded, “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Lk. 15:7). The parable of the lost son demonstrated the heart of Father God toward the lost and also displayed the Pharisaical attitude of the elder brother who was angry at his father’s love and reconciliation toward his younger brother (Lk. 15: 11-32).
Samaritans - Jews vehemently hated Samaritans. Pharisees especially hated Samaritans because of their mixed religion which was a result of Israel’s history of disobedience and subsequent captivity by the Assyrians. The Assyrians removed the ten northern tribes of Israel and replaced them with people from all the other conquered countries who did not fear the Lord. When these people came into the land, they were attacked by lions. These people asked the king of Assyria to send them a priest who would teach them the rituals of the Lord so they would not be attacked by lions. 2 Kgs. 17: 33 states they feared the Lord yet served their own gods. A mixed religion of Judaism and paganism resulted. Tax collectors were hated; however, Samaritans were hated even more! If a Jew wanted to travel from Jerusalem to Galilee, the direct route was through Samaria. A Jew, especially a Pharisee, would travel 100 miles around Samaria rather than the direct route to avoid contact or even the sight of a Samaritan. Each week in synagogue, Pharisees would publicly curse all Samaritans. If a Pharisee found a Samaritan child in trouble, he would not harm the child, but he would not help it either because it was better for that child to die rather than grow up to adulthood as a Samaritan. Of course, Pharisees declared Samaritans could never have eternal life. Early in Jesus’ ministry when Pharisees were comparing the number of baptisms His disciples were doing versus the disciples of John the Baptist, Jesus left Judea and departed to Galilee. Jn. 4:4 states, “But He needed to go through Samaria.” That shouldn’t happen, no one went through Samaria!
Jesus had a divine assignment with a wayward woman at Jacob’s well. Not only would this woman be considered to be a “sinner”; she was also a Samaritan! This incident resulted in many Samaritans believing in Jesus Christ. The parable of parables is recorded in Lk. 10: 25-37. We know this parable as the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus gave this parable to a scribe who asked, “And who is my neighbor?” Pharisees believed that only other Pharisees were worthy enough to be considered a neighbor. They considered the commandment “to love your neighbor as yourself” to apply only to other Pharisees, certainly not the common people, let alone the hated Samaritans. Jesus began His parable with a situation that occurred quite frequently; a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho was mugged and left for dead. Everyone knew how dangerous this road was and no one traveled it alone for fear of thieves. The scribe also understood why the priest and the Levite avoided the wounded man in the ditch. The man may have died and their religious ritual forbade them from touching a dead man because they would be considered “unclean.” So they avoided the man in case he was dead and basically left him for dead. When Jesus told that a certain Samaritan came by, I’m sure that the scribe thought that would certainly be the end of the wounded man’s life for Samaritans were always the “bad guys” in similar stories told by Jews. However, when Jesus said that the Samaritan had compassion on the wounded man, tending to his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, setting him on his own animal and carrying him to an inn where he paid for the care of the man and guaranteed any future payment for care beyond what his money would cover, the scribe would have been totally shocked, nearly speechless, so much so that when Jesus asked the scribe, “So which of these do you think was the neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”, the scribe could not even say the word “Samaritan”, so he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Jesus simply ended the scribe’s interrogation with, “Go and do likewise.”
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost and in doing so He destroyed the works of the devil (1 Jn. 3:8). Jesus loved the lowest and the least in society – those who were in Satan’s clutches living under the curse of the law. I have had to examine my own pharisaical attitudes and areas of my hardened heart and repent of them. I know that I am not alone. Oh, how our world needs Jesus’ kind of love to go in the ditches of life and pour oil (healing power of Holy Spirit), and wine (joy of Holy Spirit) on the victims of Satan’s schemes. Paul gives us the perfect prescription in Phil. 2:5, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” So, brothers and sisters – “Go and do likewise.” Amen.