Redefining Holiness: How Jesus Embraces Sinners and Shatters Religious Boundaries

Deuteronomy 2-3; Luke 15; Job 31

Luke 15 1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Jesus responds to this indictment with three of the most remarkable parables: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son. These stories reflect a profound challenge to the traditional understanding of holiness, which typically emphasizes separateness—aloofness, remoteness. Yet, Jesus embodies something radically different. He not only receives sinners, which would be controversial enough; He dines with them, engaging deeply in fellowship with those immersed in sin.

He’s blurring all the lines traditionally drawn to maintain what has been understood as holiness. But Jesus, in His righteousness—a term that fundamentally speaks to relationship—embraces us sinners into union with Him and the Father.

With the Pharisees’ indictment hanging in the air, Jesus tells the three parables in Luke 15, essentially saying, “Not only have I come to receive and dine with those who are far off, you haven’t gone far enough in your indictment. I not only receive sinners, I actively pursue them to bring them into this fellowship.”

In all three parables, the initiative is taken by the One seeking the lost. The lost cannot find themselves; they are inherently unable to do so. Even the prodigal son, upon his return, cannot fully reclaim his sonship on his own—he imagines returning as a servant. It is the father, in his boundless love, who restores him to his place as a son.

Like the coin, hidden and useless under some bed, and like the lamb, muddied and alone, we cannot find our way back on our own.

2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

I believe Jesus was essentially saying, “Oh, it’s worse than that! You’re offended because I receive sinners, but it’s far more radical than that. I go searching for them! I’ve come to immerse myself in their delusion and darkness, representing the Father who runs out to restore.”

The Pharisee is just as lost as the sinner, akin to how the older son was just as separated as the prodigal son who squandered his inheritance.

Luke 15:7 “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

To see God rightly, to come into union with the Father and His Son, is the essence of true repentance. Repentance isn’t merely a fixation on a particular sin. No! It is about reconciling with the One who loves us best and most.

Today, let’s place our faith in Jesus. The One who came and still comes. The One who gave and still gives. The One who even now lives to make intercession for us. For He not only receives you, He invites you to dine at His table.

Deepening Faith: Reflective Journal Prompt

Reflect on a time when you felt distant or lost in your spiritual journey. How did the concept of God actively seeking and welcoming you back, as illustrated in the parables of Luke 15, influence your understanding of divine love and grace? Describe how this perspective can transform your current approach to faith and community.

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