"Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him [Jesus] to hear Him."
Aren't verses like this one (above) astounding? Let us ask ourselves:
"Why did the notorious 'sinners' find Christ so compelling, so attrac-
tive, so alluring, that they would gather around Him, and hang on every word that fell from His blessed mouth?" I believe it is because they knew that He was real. They knew that He wasn't a religious freak, or a hypocrite, or a puffed-up doctrinaire. They also knew that Jesus genuinely cared for them.
Let all of us who are sincere churchmen recognize that if unbelievers do not find us magnetic--something is wrong with us, not them. Jesus set the standard; let us follow in His blessed steps. Let pharisees de-
spise us; but may ordinary sinners love us, and seek us out.
[Puritan quote of the day: "If you grieve [God's] Spirit in heaven, He will sadden your spirit on earth." --Christopher Love, in, "The Deject-
ed Soul's Cure"]
