Growing up my parents had a few favorite mantras. My Dad was always worried about my future. His life had not been very easy and he wanted better for me. One of his favorite sayings was, "Hard work now makes for an easy life later." I don't know if that's true in every case. But looking at life of my father-in-law, Bill Landis, my Dad's saying was certainly true. Bill was a tireless worker, a wise investor, and never complained about doing hard jobs, or "the dirty work" as it is often called. Bill was able to retire at age 58 and spent many glorious years living in Prescott. He had the time and the finances to be able to do what he wanted to do - his hard work made for a easier and much more enjoyable life later.
Another saying my folks had was, "Don't let your reputation be ruined by someone else's reputation." My Dad and Mom were constantly worried about the friends I hung out with and the company I kept. They wanted me to know that if I hung out with guys that were trouble makers or were disrespectful to others, I would be branded the same. I objected, of course. "I'm not like that!" I would say. It wasn't until one of my friends was busted for selling marijuana that I learned that my folks were right. After the bust, kids at school would say things like, "You must have been a user too. You hung out with him all the time." In spite of my denials, my friends wouldn't believe me. My reputation had been damaged.
It's this idea being careful about the company you keep that makes our relationship with Jesus so special. Remember what happened when Jesus called Matthew to "Follow me?" Matthew celebrated by having a gathering of his friends to meet and break bread with Jesus. The religious leaders saw what was going on and were appalled. "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" The Pharisees would never eat with such people. Their reputations as holy and righteous people would be sullied.
Did this bother Jesus? He told the Pharisees, "I came not to call the righteous but sinners." Jesus worried not one whit about what the religious elites thought of Him. More important than his reputation was the condition of the people around Him. Those who were sinful He called to repentance. Those who were outcasts He reached out to and had compassion on them. Through His teaching of the Word of God, Jesus was changing the reputations of those who the Pharisees would have nothing to do with. These outcasts were welcomed into the kingdom of God. Through faith they had been given new life from the One who is the way and the truth and the life - Jesus!
That's good news for you and me, isn't it? Each of us has a reputation that is less than stellar. We, too, have thought of ourselves better than others. Each of us has a closet full of sinful skeletons that we'd rather no one know about. And if we were exposed - how fast do you think family and friends would run to distance themselves from us, so that their reputations would remain intact.
RJ Grunewald, in his fine book, "Reading Romans with Luther," makes this observation: Our Savior doesn't worry whether our reputation might damage His. He knows exactly what our reputation will do to His reputation. He justifies us, the ungodly, because it is His reputation that changes us - it's His work that makes us righteous. (page 19).
Go ahead and be careful about the company you keep. Hang out with Jesus. Read His Word. Receive His Supper. You have no better friend. There is no better company than Jesus.
