WWJAW

W.W.J.A.W? Who Would Jesus Associate With? Sometimes people will say that Jesus would never associate with such and such a person. The problem is that more often than not such statements are not true and are being made by self-righteous, exclusionary, elitist Pharisees.

Sometimes I am told that I am picking and choosing and that I should read the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Well, I should read the whole of the Holy Bible and maybe I am picking and choosing but it seems to me these same people are ignoring the mercy, love and grace found in the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Skipping right over them and going straight to judgment without giving people a chance to repent.

Modern Christians are not under Old Testament law. That law was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are under the law of liberty. It won't counter the modern day Pharisees, but I think the best way to find out who Jesus would associate with is to find out who He did associate with. That is found in the four accounts of the gospel that Pharisees love to ignore.

Some basic truths.

EVERYONE can be saved. Not everyone will be saved, but everyone can be saved. It is "Whosoever" (John 3:9-16) will, not Whosoever we will. The pickers and the choosers are the ones who want to make it salvation by works, by claiming if you have done certain things, especially what society regards are really bad and evil things, then you can not be saved. The apostle Paul was a murderer, King David was an adulterer and a murderer, satan sometimes entered into the apostle Peter (Matt. 16:23).

God LOVED the world. According to John 3:17 Jesus did NOT come into the world to condemn the world, but He came that the world might through him be saved.

Unforgiveness is unforgivable. (Matt. 6:14-15)

All manner of sin except blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall be forgiven (Matt.12:31-32).

Jesus associated with all of the following people while he was on this earth.

1. John the Baptist (Matt. 3:13-17)

2. The Spirit (Matt. 4:1)

3. satan (Matt: 4:3-11)

4. Angels (Matt. 4:11)

5. Simon Peter, (Matt 4:18-20)

6. Andrew, Peter's brother (Matt 4:18-20, Mark 1:16-18)

7. James the son of Zebedee, John (Matt 4:21-22, Mark 1:19-20)

8. Those who attended the synagogues in Galilee (Matt. 4:23)

9. Those who attended the synagogue in Capernaum (Mark 1:21-22)

10. A man with an unclean spirit (Mark 1:23-28)

11. Syrians who were sick people, divers diseases, torments, those possessed with devils,lunatics, and those that had the palsy. (Matt. 4: 24)

12. People (multitudes) from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and from beyond Jordan. (Matt 4:25). He preached to the multitudes (Matt. 5:1-7:27, Mark 1:38-39)

13. Sick people from the the city of Capernaum. (Mark 1:32-34

14. An unclean leper (Matt. 8:2-4, Mark 1:40-45)

15. A centurion who was in Capernaum (Matt. 8:5-13)

16. Peter's mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14-15, Mark 1:29-31)

17. The demon possessed and the sick (Matt. 8:16-17)

18. A certain scribe (Matt. 8:19-20)

19. Another of His disciples (Matt. 8:21-22)

20. His disciples in the ship (Matt. 8:23-27)

21. Two possessed with devils in the country of the Gergesenes (Matt. 8:28-34)

22. Unclean spirits (Mark 3:11-13)

23. One sick of the palsy & his friends (Matt. 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12)

24. Matthew , a tax collector (Matt. 9:9)

25. Many publicans and sinners (Matt. 9:10-13, Mark 2:15-17)

26. Levi, a publican (Mark 1:13-14)

27. The disciples of John the baptist. (Matt. 9:14-17)

28. A certain ruler and his daughter. (Matt. 9:18-26)

29. A woman with an issue of blood (Matt. 9:20-22)

30. Two blind men (Matt. 9:27-31)

31. A dumb (speechless) man possessed with a devil. (Matt. 9:32-33)

32. The twelve called disciples. (Matt. 10:1-5, Mark 3:13-19)

33. The Pharisees (Matt. 12:2-8, Mark 8:11-12)

34. A man with a withered hand in the synagogue. (Matt. 12:9-13, Mark 3:1-5)

35. One possessed with a devil, blind and dumb (speechless). (Matt. 12:22)

36. Scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem (Matt. 15:2-3, Mark 7:1)

37. A woman of Canaan (Matt. 15:22-28)

38. The Pharisees and Sadducees (Matt. 16:1)

39. Two blind men sitting by the wayside (Matt. 20:30-34)

40. The scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 23:13-39)

41. The multitude by the sea side (Mark 4:1-2)

42. A man of the tombs in the country of the Gadarenes (Matt. 5:1-20)

43. Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue and a woman with an issue of blood (Mark 5:23-43)

44. The multitude of 5000 that He fed. (Mark 6:32-44)

45. The sick in the villages and cities (Mark 6:56)

46. A Greek woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit (Mark 7:25-30)

47. One who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech (Mark 7:32-38)

48. The multitude of 4000 and a little boy (Mark 8:1-9)

49. A blind man of Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26)

This list of who Jesus DID associate with is very incomplete, I barely made it half way through Mark and Did not make it to the account of the gospel by John at all. And I'm sure I missed some as glanced over the scriptures to find these people that Jesus associated with. In John 8:1ff Jesus refuses to condemn the adulterous women. He tells her to "go and sin no more.

Today's religious Pharisaical zealots it seems don't want people to go and sin no more. Nor will they acknowledge the truth, that they are also still sinners. Anyway, hope you enjoy this article listing people Jesus did associate with while he walked the earth. And he is indeed the sinner's friend. The best friend they will ever have because he wants them to be saved, saved from hell and saved from themselves.

If you are someone who has done some really bad things, even very evil, I hope that you will realize that if you repent of those sins and turn to Jesus, He will accept you where you are. Yes, he loves you too much to leave you there, but Jesus will accept you Just as you are. You will suffer the consequences of your sin, but Jesus still loves you, whosoever will may come. Please accept Jesus into your heart today.