Chapter 15 of the gospel of Saint Luke opens with tax collectors and sinners drawing near to Jesus. Very well, Jesus must have a very pleasing personality that even the “undesirables” of society are attracted to Him. Yet, it is obvious that the “pleasing personality” is nothing but genuine compassion characterized by acceptance, forgiveness and power of restoration. We must recall that in the previous chapter, Jesus tells the parable of the Great Wedding Banquet where the poor and the marginalized were the ones who heeded the invitation.

The tax collectors and sinners were and are still the lost sheep and the lost coins. They were and are still the raison d’être or the the most important reason or purpose why Jesus came down from Heaven. They were drawn to Jesus because they felt His sincerity to be one with them and for them. In fact, He cured many of them, fed them and taught them. When everybody shunned them, Jesus was there for them.

The Pharisees and the other religious leaders were also sinners but their self-righteousness blinded them into thinking that they were holy and thus separated from the rest of society. So they opposed and rejected Jesus and in reality, they were instrumental in His suffering and death.

We are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). It is our choice to be drawn to Jesus or to be the modern Pharisees who reject the offer of Jesus for us to be saved. Moreover, we are also being called to imitate Jesus who would go all out to seek the lost and bring them to the fold.