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It’s difficult to fully grasp why Jesus spent much of His ministry with sinners, until we appreciate that He looks at our hearts and has always known what is in man (John 2:25). He also knows the nature of sin and those willing to accept a new heredity, surrendering their lives daily (Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23). Jesus knew the sinners He associated with in His earthly life would not only repent and obey, but they would also provide powerful witness to His victory to the nations.
The conversion of Saul described in Acts 9 is a specific example of God’s omniscience. Saul’s sin was well known, as evidenced in Ananias’ response to the Lord: “I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to Your saints at Jerusalem” (Acts 9:13). But look just a few verses later at the witness of God’s chosen instrument: “And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ And all who heard him were amazed and said, ‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name?’ " (Acts 9:20-22).
Look also at the parable of the rich young man. This time we don’t see an evil persecutor of Jews, but rather a man with a proper morality. Again, Jesus pays no attention to the good he has kept from his youth because He sees the nature of man (Mark 10:20). The Lord cares more about our desire to submit to God’s will, repent for our love of possessions, witness to others, and follow Him.
Interestingly, we don’t really know what happens next for this young man. He walked away, but his heart was affected, and he was sorrowful. Perhaps he went home or to a quiet place and prayed about what to do with his life.
We can do this too. Jesus says it is difficult, even so much as impossible with man, but not impossible with God (Mark 10:23, 27). Remember that Jesus loved this rich man, just as He does all His Father’s children. And by the world’s standards, we are all extremely rich. A list of stats shouldn’t be necessary to convince anyone of this. So, what do we do today to show our willingness to obey, repent, follow, and witness?
How do we show others that we “have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God" (Romans 6:22) No sacrifice is easy, but with prayers, it won’t be impossible.
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