Jesus’ selection of friends is based more on those he can help than those who can help him. This may seem obvious to those of us familiar with the Gospels, but remember, we are talking about friends here. We are not merely talking about how he interacted with people. Too often, we think that success in the Christian life is being friendly with sinners. It’s a step in the right direction, for sure. Being friendly, however, is not what records show Jesus doing. He was a friend to sinners.
