We all know people who are "holier than thou." They tend to live perfect lives, even if a trifle legalistic. We know we ought to like them, but somehow they leave us feeling condemned and unworthy.
I don't think Jesus was like this. If anyone was holy, Jesus was, but sinners loved to be around him. Luke 15:1 says this:
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!
According to David Kinnamen's book, Unchristian, most young people outside the church perceive Christians as judgemental (87%), hypocritical (85%) and anti-gay (91%). And the trouble is, many of us deserve that Pharisaical reputation. We are know more for what we are against than what we are for, what we disapprove of rather than what we endorse.
I doubt Jesus was ever perceived that way. He was more comfortable with sinners than with the religious establishment of his day. He didn't flinch when a prostitute washed his feet with her tears. He didn't hesitate to touch unclean lepers. Kids loved him (they are often great judges of character). He had compassion on people and loved them, and they instinctively knew it.
Why? Because Jesus was not religious. He accepted rather than condemned, believed the best rather than the worst, loved rather than disapproved.
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