#jesusstuff

Question:  How did Jesus deal with people who lived a sinful lifestyle? Did he run them out of church until they quit sinning?

Answer:  Actually, that's a pretty tough question.  The bottom line is that Jesus didn't have this cookie-cutter method for dealing with people living sinful lives.  There would be times he would deal with someone in open, disgusting sinfulness and simply tell them, "Go and sin no more".  Other times he would deal with people who had life-altering conditions, heal them and then say, "Your sins are forgiven".  

Just when you think you've got him figured out he meets with Nicodemus and tells him, "You must be born again".  What happened to "Go and sin no more"?  And then he deals with the Pharisees and he treats them like red-headed step-children.  He's on them like white on rice.  Not one ounce of sweetness, grace or forgiveness.  Rather than forgiving them and restoring them he calls them names like...a bunch of snakes, white-washed tombs full of dead mens bones, and dirty cups.  None of these were compliments.

Speaking of running out of church, he did do that thing where he actually made a whip and literally whipped people out of the temple for making it a circus rather than the place of worship it was intended to be.  So, I guess he does have some record of running some folks out.  

Let me take you back to one instance with Jesus.  A man approached him and said he wanted to follow him.  Jesus said sure, there's just one stipulation: You have to sell everything you own and give it to the poor and follow me.  That is very strange, because Jesus had never made that a stipulation for following him with anyone else.  Where'd the new rule come from?  The scripture explains it.  This guy had a lot of money and his security was obviously his money.  Jesus was able to see his heart.  That's the key to understanding this.  He saw that his money was more important to him than Jesus.  You don't have to give away all your money to follow Jesus.  You just have to put everything in second place.  It's a matter of the heart.

Long way to get to an answer, but I think you want the truth.  Jesus calls everyone to follow him.  Sinners all.  He loves sinners.  That's all he's got to work with, after all.  But here's the catch.  

1)  Jesus didn't expect godly behavior out of godless people.  We sometimes mess up there.  If you've never tasted of God's love and grace, there's no reason to expect a changed life.

2)  For those who claimed to be right with God and represented themselves according, the expectation level went up.  If you claim to be a child of God, you better have a life that is bearing the fruit of such claims.  Jesus had no time for open hypocrisy and double-standards.  

Would he kick out openly sinful seekers...no.  Would he kick out openly sinful saints who justified and excused their sin...probably.