"But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Luke 5:30-32
This is a good lesson, and one that seems very applicable to our day as well with regard to inclusion and acceptance of everyone around us, not just deigning to hang out with the righteous elite. :)
Not that there isn't another side. Sometimes hanging out with the wrong people can influence *us* to do bad things, so we have to make wise decisions and be an influence for good rather than allowing ourselves to be influenced for evil.
That said, I think that one of the lessons here that isn't explicit is that Christ came to call all of us to repentance, because we are all sinners, and so if we start thinking of ourselves as somehow "above" that, attempting to condemn other sinners because they sin in a different way that we do, then we're the deluded ones, thinking that we are somehoe not in need of Christ's atonement.
Today, let's remember to not place ourselves above others, but to lift and help and strengthen the people around us, and not allow ourselves to be influenced for evil.
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