The examples time and time again in the Bible are not so wholesome. Why? Because Jesus came not to save those who were whole but those who were sinners. The sick needed the great physician. Jesus stepped into the mess, not away from it. Jesus saw the wretchedness of the sin and called it for what it was. Jesus boldly proclaimed repentance of sin. Jesus radically welcomed those who repented and clung to him.
I recently received an email that prompted deep reflection. It stated:
“You will be accountable to the Lord God Almighty on the day of judgement for each idle, worldly secular word from the pulpit in lieu of wholesome Bible examples describing the Glorious Work of My Redeemer, Jesus Christ.”
There is something to commend in this comment.
Ungracious, unedifying, and even crass language can creep into the pulpit. A preacher ought not let foul language, slander, gossip, lies color his sermon. The scriptures themselves use careful language with sensitive topics. Many sins are spoken about in the pages of scripture without delving into the descriptive depths of those particular sins.
But, for the person who opens their Bible and reads the narratives of the Old Testament and the sins confronted in the New Testament, there is no shortage of shocking topics addressed.
I’ve come to expect this type of email from time to time. Why? Because I have zero issues with giving modern examples of God’s amazing work redeeming sinners. God is still in the business of doing amazing works amongst the worst of sinners.
Which Wholesome Bible Examples?
Lurking underneath this email is something that needs to be addressed:
“…in lieu of wholesome Bible examples describing the Glorious Work of My Redeemer, Jesus Christ.”
This is at the heart of the glorious work of our redeemer, Jesus Christ. He saves the unsavable. If we look for the wholesome examples of Jesus, we’ll scratch our heads looking for them.
Consider the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:7-30), living in fornication yet transformed by her encounter with Jesus.
Should we talk about the wholesome example of the woman caught in the act of adultery?
Maybe we can talk about the wholesome example of Levi the tax collector. Just to make sure we understand, that’s like Jesus redeeming a man who would be both a corrupt tax officer and in league with mob thugs.
To be clear, there would not have been an objection to Jesus’s ministry by the Pharisees if His work was amongst the wholesome.
Jesus came to save sinners.
Jesus came to save the fornicator.
Jesus came to save the drunkard.
Jesus came to save the homosexual.
Jesus came to save the liar.
Jesus came to save the thief.
Jesus came to save the adulterer.
Jesus came to save the idolater.
Jesus came to save the covetous.
Appalled at Jesus?
The Pharisees were shocked and appalled by the unwholesome company Jesus seemed to keep. They protested to his disciples about it:
10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”