By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo
Luke 19:7 "All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” - NIV
Jesus was welcomed by Zachaeus, a tax collector, into his home for a meal. The people murmured that He had gone to be the guest of a sinner, as they considered the tax collectors to be sinners. He also visited one of the Pharisees’ homes for dinner, and yet these were people who opposed Him. While there, a woman they saw as a sinner for her lifestyle, came and poured expensive oil on Him while weeping. They complained that He shouldn’t have allowed such sinful woman to touch Him.
A blind beggar cried for His help, and He stopped to attend to him. Children were brought for Him to bless them. Lepers and outcasts cried out for help, and He healed them. That is the love of Christ without partiality. He loved, and still loves all. The statesman, the outcast and rejects of society are all His precious people.
Can we love less if the Lord we serve didn’t? Our world has created categories of people into those who are loveable and not, those in our class and those below or higher. If we His disciples are truly following in His footsteps, our hearts should be driven by His kind of love for all people. One of the basis of judgment in the last day is on how we treated the ‘least of these'(Matt 25:31-46). May God help us not to ignore those He loves and are dear to His heart based on humanly created boundaries and categorisation!
1 Timothy 5:21 "I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism."
Shalom children of God