We can see people the way Jesus does by looking past their reputation and mistakes to the person God created and loves. Jesus never ignored sin, but he saw broken people as worth rescuing, not as projects or problems to avoid. When we learn to see others through his eyes, our ministry becomes more welcoming, more honest and much more like his.
How Simon Saw the Woman
Luke tells the story of a dinner party at the home of a Pharisee named Simon. Pharisees were devoutly religious leaders who took God’s law seriously, and Simon likely saw himself as one of the good guys. During the meal, an uninvited guest slipped into the room, a woman whose sinful reputation was known all over town.
Luke 7:37-39 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
Simon looked at her and saw only a label: sinner. He also quietly judged Jesus for letting her get close. It’s easy to criticize Simon, but most of us have done the same thing. We size people up by their past, their appearance or their problems, and we decide, often without saying a word, who belongs and who doesn’t.
How Jesus Saw the Woman
Jesus saw something completely different. He told Simon a short story about two people whose debts were canceled, one large and one small, and asked which of them would love the lender more. Then he turned toward the woman and pointed out her humility, her tears and her devotion, all the things Simon had missed while he was busy judging.
Luke 7:47-48 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Jesus didn’t pretend she was sinless. He called her sins “many.” But he saw a forgiven woman overflowing with gratitude, and he spoke words of grace right in front of the people who had written her off. Her love didn’t earn her forgiveness; it was the overflow of a heart that knew it had been forgiven. That’s the heart of the gospel: none of us earns forgiveness, and Jesus offers it freely to anyone who comes to him in faith. If you’d like to learn more about putting your faith in Jesus, check out How can I become a Christian?
Jesus Came for Everyone
This story wasn’t a one-time exception. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus spent time with tax collectors, outcasts and people the religious crowd avoided. He also loved Pharisees like Simon enough to tell them the truth about their own hearts. Nobody was outside the reach of his compassion.
Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
If you lead a small group, mentor someone or serve in any kind of ministry, this changes how you approach people. Ask yourself who you might be overlooking: the newcomer with a rough past, the person whose questions make you uncomfortable or the one who simply doesn’t seem to fit in. Seeing people like Jesus means welcoming them warmly, listening to their story and pointing them toward the same grace that changed your life.
It also means being honest about sin without making it the only thing we see. Jesus held out a high standard and a wide welcome at the same time. When people sense that you see them as someone God loves, they become far more open to hearing the truth from you.
The Takeaway
To see people the way Jesus does, look past labels and reputations to people God loves and wants to rescue. Jesus saw sin clearly, but he saw the forgiven heart even more clearly, and he calls us to welcome others with that same grace.
