³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—she’s a sinner!” (Luke 7:39 CSB)

Of course Christ knew who he was interacting with. What the Pharisee did not realize is that he was most probably the biggest sinner in the room.

If we have done well in life and attend church we may tend to see “others” in a different light than ourselves. We may say “oh, but for the grace of God, go I”, but that phrase is misquoted. There are many variations on what the martyr John Bradford said, but the one that I have read most often is – when he saw a poor criminal led to execution, exclaimed, “there, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford.” 

This should, as in our scripture, be shortened even more to “There go I”, For, when we see the sinfulness in others it should bring to mind our own deeply sinful nature. None of us is above reproach, and we are all but dirty rags without Christ saving grace.

When working in the biker ranks we see and experience this most often. We can be among a host of what is seen by others as great sinners. Yet, once when asked by a biker why I was out with the sinners on a Sunday morning, my response with “I am just with a different bunch of sinners than the ones at my church.”

This too can create a separation when we see others as different. They are not, we are all dirty rags.