Grace in Christ 19

How great a distance do we try to keep between ourselves and notorious sinners?  I am not asking how far we keep from their sin, which should be very far, but from them as individuals.  The Pharisees of Jesus’ day had a simple answer – as far as possible.  So one day when an infamous sinner was able to gain access to the home of a key Pharisee, who was hosting Jesus, we see a confrontation of religious bigotry and Christian love.  J. Wilbur Chapman, the well known writer, pastor, evangelist and hymnist wrote a hymn about Jesus’ response on this occasion, “Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners”. 

In the modern vernacular we would say that the Pharisee was not amused at the appearance of the woman in his home.  He even smirked at Jesus’ naiveté at letting the sinful woman approach Him.  But Jesus was not naïve; He was the manifestation of God in the flesh, the God whom Christ proclaimed as being the One who loved the world.  Jesus response to the approach of the woman was simple, He let her fall at His feet and worship Him and then He publicly announced the forgiveness of her sins.  Chapman captures the beauty of this moment in the first stanza of his hymn, “Jesus! What a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul; friends may fail me, foes assail me, He, my Savior, makes me whole.” 

The woman had gone into the Pharisee’s home a despised and defiled person.  She went away that day a forgiven and whole child of God.  She went out of that house a person with hope, strength, healing, joy and new life.  These are different aspects of the great love Chapman expresses throughout his hymn.  He saw Jesus, the Friend of sinners, as the one who was also as the Strength in weakness, the Help in sorrow, the Comforter of the soul, the Guide and Keeper the Pilot in the storm and the great Forgiver of sins.  He said, “More than all in Him I find.”  It is with exultation that he concluded each verse with the rousing chorus, “Hallelujah! What a Savior! Hallelujah! What a Friend! Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He is with me to the end.”   Hallelujah indeed!   The grace of God in Christ is more than all we will ever need now and forever!

Visit my website, www.davidccraig.net, for inspiring Christian books.