A Friend of Sinners

Bible Reading: Luke 6:27-36

Max strung out a long piece of cheese and took a bite of his pepperoni pizza. He loved this restaurant—it had tons of fun games. This would’ve been the best day ever except for the mean kid.

He looked across the table at his mother. “Mom, see that tall kid over there with red hair? When I was shooting hoops, he stole my tickets out of the game.”

His mother frowned. “That wasn’t very nice.”

“I know.” Max picked at his food. “I feel like punching him in the face.”

“Now, Max, the Bible tells us to turn every thought over to Jesus. We need to love our enemies.”

“But he’s mean,” said Max.

“Do you realize that mean people were exactly the ones Jesus spent time with? Other people saw Him hanging around those guys and they were shocked. ‘This man receives sinners, and eats with them,’ they said.”

Max took a bite of his pizza and glanced at the boy. “I think I’m gonna play some games with the rest of my tokens.”

“Okay, but you don’t have much time. We need to leave in ten minutes to pick up Grandma from the airport.”

Max headed for the race car game where he ran into a friend from school. “Hey, Jacob. What are you doing here?”

“I’m gonna play this racing game.” Jacob jumped in the seat and slid a token into the slot. “I bet I can beat you.”

“No way.” Max smiled as he took a seat behind the wheel.

After a couple rounds with Jacob, Mom called to him. “Max, it’s time to go!”

He looked down at the coins in his hand. He still had five left. For a moment he considered giving them to Jacob. Then he remembered what his mother had said.

“I gotta go,” Max said. He waved goodbye to Jacob and jogged over to the guitar game where the red-haired boy stood in front of the screen.

“Here.” Max held out his coins. “You can have these.”

The boy’s mouth dropped open as Max handed over the tokens. “Why would you give me these?” he asked.

Max shrugged. “That’s what Jesus would do.” – Annika Klanderud

How About You?

Is it hard for you to be nice to mean people? If somebody teases you, do you hope they get in trouble? People often describe Jesus as kind, merciful, and forgiving. But the amazing thing is, He’s kind to bullies, cheaters, and people who break all the rules. While dying on the cross, He even asked His Father to forgive His murderers. Now that’s an exceptional love—and He wants you to show that love to others.

Today’s Key Verse: Luke 6:35 He is kind to the unthankful and evil.

Today’s Key Thought:

Love others like Jesus