Jesus Never Saw A Prostitute

I read this post on the Lakeland Community Church blog (Jordan Cooper's church if you care about that stuff).

Tony Campolo relates a story about himself. Once he asked a class of students "What do you reckon Jesus would have said to a prostitute?" Campolo was apparently preparing himself to be able to speak about Jesus' compassion and understanding. At one particular point in the discussion a Jewish student responded: "Jesus never saw a prostitute." Campolo began to sensitively suggest that Jesus in fact related to a number of prostitutes. The Jewish man interrupted him and said: "Dr. Campolo you didn't hear me ... Jesus never saw a prostitute." Campolo responded again with a situation from the Gospels. Again the man said: "You're not listening to me ... Jesus never saw a prostitute." Suddenly, Campolo understood. When Jesus looked at someone he looked beyond their situation and he looked beyond their own perceptions and societies' configuration of them. He always saw the whole person. The salvation of self and society is the goal of Biblical conversion and it becomes possible with God through Jesus Christ .