No shortage of sinners

By John Fischer

Eugene Debs, who ran for president of the United States as a third party candidate in 1912, had this to say while campaigning:

 “As long as there is a lower class, I am in it.

As long as there is a criminal element, I'm of it.

As long as there is a soul in prison, I am not free.”

 Obviously he didn’t get elected since none of us has ever heard of him, but I believe there is a lot of truth in thinking this way about our place in the world.

 The Apostle Paul had something very similar to say in a letter to a new church:

 “When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ … When I am with the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish law, I fit in with them as much as I can ... When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone ...” (1 Corinthians 9:20-22)

 Both these men are talking about relating to people by identifying with them through finding something shared in common.

 Christians have traditionally been really good at not thinking this way and in fact, creating and maintaining quite the opposite – a distance from those around us who aren't Christians. When it comes to dealing with “common sinners” we have a tendency to be more like the Pharisees than like Jesus. A Pharisee once judged Jesus for allowing a woman of the streets to bathe his feet in perfume mixed with the tears of her sorrowful life. The Pharisee had already distanced himself from the woman because of her sin and was shocked that Jesus, as a teacher, did not do the same. He even thought to himself that Jesus wouldn't let her touch him if he knew what kind of woman she was. Jesus, in the meantime, was busy understanding her, including her sins, which were no problem for him since he was to take them to the cross for her, and in doing so, forgive her. (Luke 7:36-50)

 Why is it so hard for us to identify with sinners and so easy to judge them when we, too, are guilty? We must stop this distancing of ourselves from sinners and start looking for common ground like Paul and, yes, even like Mr. Debs.

 I really do like his campaign slogan. We would all be more compassionate and more merciful if we would take it on.

“As long as there is a lower class, I am in it.

As long as there is a criminal element, I'm of it.

As long as there is a soul in prison, I am not free.”

 And I'm adding one more thing:

 And as long as there is a sinner, I am one too, bringing good news of Christ’s forgiveness to others like me who need it.