“A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume” Ecclesiastes 7:1
You probably know some people from your high school days who weren’t real popular with the teachers, and you probably also know some people who were highly respected by the faculty. That’s a little bit about reputation.
In Luke 15:11 from The Message it reads, “By this time, a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently.” Isn’t this encouraging to know that Jesus loves us all.
Here’s a brief definition of “reputation” according to dictionary.com. “The estimation in which a person or thing is held, especially by the community or the public generally; a good name.” So, if people hanging around Jesus had doubtful reputations, that would mean they were not held in high regard by the community and probably didn’t have a good name. Why would people like that hang around Jesus? That’s a legitimate question. Shouldn’t all the most respectable people be drawn to Jesus?
It’s interesting that Jesus, who was held in such high regard by so many and known to all people (even his critics), was a great teacher and prophet of God, and that he attracted people with a questionable reputation. So many of us fear loving people unlike us. It just makes sense that “those” kind of people would do all they could to avoid Jesus and not hang out with him. What made Jesus so attractive to everyone? I am convinced that at the top of the list would be His love, compassion, and ability to accept people regardless of their background or personal liabilities. He wasn’t about judging at all. The everyday man, woman, or child didn’t feel judged, but knew Jesus loved them and desired to help and save them.
How about you? Who do you attract? Only the beautiful people? When I was in student ministry, we had a young student with a number of emotional and physical challenges. As such, there were only a few people who were motivated to hang out with her. She was an extra “grace required individual.” No doubt about it. It was sometimes hard to be around her. But she chose to hang around us. As I look back on those days, it’s obvious she brought more into our lives than we brought into her life, and I’m a better person because of her. She had the capacity and desire to be with us, even when her presence wasn’t always reciprocated. She was more of a model of loving like Jesus than any of us. One of the joys of my life has been to reconnect with her many years later to let her know of the positive impact she had on me.
CLOSING THOUGHT – I hope that we will be encouraged to love others and not judge them, and that likewise we would focus on our reputation of being known by God