“Friend of Sinners.” Sinners meant “the really bad (or different) people who are not us.” They included people who were known by their sins: Joe the Divorcer, Jane the Adulteress, Jim the Thief. And they included those who were physically handicapped or abused: Jack the Blind, Jane the Molested. “Sinners” had everyone gossiping. But Jesus sought them out, and they sought him out. He was their friend, and happy to touch them.
