And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Luke 19:7-10
When we think about someone coming to Jesus we think of it as a glad and happy event. And in the eyes of God, it is. “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:10). Yet frequently during the ministry of Jesus we see people respond negatively when He welcomed others who came to Him. Often those who were despised and judged by society to be of less value and worth gladly received the message of salvation. Often the critics accused the Lord of spending His time with sinners. Yet even as they leveled those attacks they were condemned by their own words, for every person criticizing Jesus for reaching out to sinners was himself a sinner who also needed help.
The reality is that all of us need the salvation that only Jesus can provide. While we may think of ourselves as being better than others, judging our own sins to be less serious, God views even our “small” sins to be despicably evil. There is a grave danger in allowing self-righteousness to infect our thinking. Not only does it build up pride in our hearts but it also keeps us from responding to the call of God. “When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17).
