Jesus Was a Seeker

by **pegasus202** Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:41 am

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:12-13...

Jesus sought the lost.

You could say he was the original seeker, but unlike the modern term, Jesus didn’t wait for seekers to seek him; he actively and sacrificially sought them. He became friends with those who needed a friend in God.

When the Pharisees saw Jesus keeping company with “a lot of disreputable characters,” “they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. ‘What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riff-raff?’” (Matthew 9:10-11 MSG).

They viewed Jesus as a bad example because he associated with people who needed God, who needed mercy, who thought they were beyond ever being accepted by God. Jesus looked at what was on the inside of a person, not the outside.

The Pharisees saw themselves as good examples because they believed they served God when they insisted people should achieve the level of righteousness that came from following specific rules and rituals.

In fairness to them, they judged people by the outside because it was the only way to measure success in their list-driven discipleship model. Besides, why bother God when you can make yourself look holy by doing all the right things at the right time with the right people.

To paraphrase John Lennon, “Isn’t the Pharisee a bit like you and me?” Going nowhere, man.

But Jesus knew no one can work his way into God’s righteousness. That’s why he was down here, among the disreputable, including the disreputable Pharisees.

Likewise, with Jesus at work within us, we’re to make friends with others, including those who might be considered outsiders.

And our message is this: “Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you” (2 Corinthians 5:20 MSG).