Lk15

Jesus loved ALL people the same. And the religious leaders were complaining about it!! They saw sinners as "unclean and defiled". Jesus also saw them as "unclean and defile, BUT in need of forgiveness and cleansing."

The Pharisees were absolutely right about the "tax collectors and sinners". They WERE sinful and unclean. They were unworthy to be in the same room as Jesus, much less to be friends with Him! But the Pharisees were absolutely wrong about themselves. They too were unclean and sinful, absolutely unworthy to be in the same room as Jesus, much less friends with Him. They saw others correctly. They misjudged themselves.

And then there is us. We are also sinful and unclean. Do we feel "worthy" to be with Jesus? Do we see ourselves and good and others as evil? Did we really need salvation or are we deserving of it? 

I often wonder which group I would have fallen into had I lived as a contemporary of Jesus. I doubt I would have got it right. Even today, on the other side of the cross and resurrection, I struggle to not put different people in different categories. Jesus loved ALL people the same.

EveryONE matters to Him.