Jesus Chose The Least Of These

Jesus said... 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

Christ did put stipulations on the types of people who were allowed to come to Him. He simply said come to ALL. When I begin to look at the types of people included in this ALL it is quite humbling. Jesus was drawn to the social outcasts, the down cast, unloved and unwanted people of His day. I just wanted to share with you what I learned as I studied out some of these people. Please take some time and read through each of these amazing stories. I’m sure that your heart will be blessed  as you see Jesus loving up on the “underdog” in each of these stories.

• Luke 5:12-16 - Jesus heals a man with leprosy
• Mark 2:13-17 - Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors
• John 4:1-42 - Jesus speaks with a Samaritan woman at the well
• John 8:1-11 - Jesus forgives an adulterous woman
• Luke 7:36-50 - Jesus dines in a pharisee's house, while a sinful woman (a prostitute) washes His feet
• Mark 5: 1-20 - Jesus delivers a demon possessed man
• Mark 5: 21-34  - Jesus heals the woman with the issue of blood

This is just a short list of people Jesus took the time to give of his attentions to. I would like to take some time and go through each one and explain why they were considered to be social outcasts. Most of them should be pretty obvious, but some of them may not be as well known as to why they were kept at an arm’s length. I was unaware of some of these until I spent some time studying each one out.

The leper

Leprosy is a chronic infection that causes severe skin sores and nerve damage. In Biblical times little was known about this particular disease so they would shun those with the disease to leper colonies. These individuals were forced away from their friends, families and social groups to fend for themselves with no one willing to help them in their suffering. It was thought that simply by being around someone with leprosy they too would contract this horrific disease. Today we know this is not the case. It is spread through contact with fluids from the nose or mouth. Jesus knew then what we know now. He was not afraid of this man. He touched this man when no one else would.

The tax collectors 

Those who bore the responsibility of this particular job were not viewed very positively among the people. The established governments of that time period were often very greedy and the tax collectors were expected to reinforce the expectations of the governing body. So they often took the brunt of the finger pointing and name calling when an oppressive government forced it’s citizens to pay more and more taxes. Jesus ate at this man’s house when no one else wanted anything to do with him.

The Samaritan woman 

The Samaritans were hated by the “faithful” Jewish culture. After the northern kingdom fell to the Assyrians, many Jews were deported to Assyria and and foreigners were brought to settle the land and help keep the peace. Intermarriage between these foreigners and remaining Jews resulted, creating a mixed race. This mixed race, known as the Samaritans, were considered impure by those Jews who lived in the southern kingdom. Thus the tension grew between the “pure” Jews (those in the southern kingdom) and the Samaritans. As if that tension were not enough, in this particular example this was not just a Samaritan Jesus was talking with, but this was also a woman, known publicly for the fact that she was living in sin. To the eyes of an outsider this particular woman had many strikes against her, which is probably why Jesus had such compassion upon her.

The adulterous woman 

This particular woman had been brought to Jesus by the Pharisees and teachers of the law whose main objective was to back Jesus into a trap. If they truly wanted to judge this woman according to the law of Moses then they would have also arrested the man involved as well. But their actions proved a total disregard for the law making their intentions completely unjust. Jesus knew all of this. He knew their intentions and He knew the heart of the woman. So with much wisdom He invited the one who is without sin to throw the first stone. He knew that He was the only one there capable of throwing any stones and He had no intention of doing so because His heart of compassion compelled Him to forgive.

Pharisees  

There was much hypocrisy bound up in the hearts of the Jewish leaders of that day. People were aware that they said one thing yet did the complete opposite. Jesus was of no exception to being aware this fact. But, He never gave up on this group of stubborn men. He proved this by having dinner with one Pharisee named Simon.

Sinful woman 

The label this woman carried was because she was publicly known as a prostitute. She was at Simon’s house during dinner. This woman had not been invited as a guest, but she entered the house and knelt at the feet of Jesus. Simon had neglected to do several customary social courtesies of that day, all of which this woman had tended to instead of the host. Christ’s heart was moved in compassion on this woman because of the love she poured out upon Him and her sins were forgiven.   

Demon possessed man 

The demon living in this man had caused so much terror in his life that he was forced to lived among the tombs. No one was strong enough to subdue him any longer. He was beyond any human intervention and needed supernatural deliverance. The name of the demon was Legion. A legion was the largest unit of the Roman army (3,000 to 6,000 soldiers). Just by the name of the demon we can see that it was not just one, but many that had overtaken this man. Jesus was not intimidated by the demon’s strength but rather had compassion on the human heart that was on the inside wishing for an escape from the nightmare. So Jesus delivered him for the torment.

Woman with issue of blood 

I have already written an entire post on this particular woman entitled “Touching The Hem Of His Garment.” Please feel free to revisit that post if you would like. This woman had seen every doctor and nothing could be done. She was considered to be beyond help. This particular woman sought out Jesus and He did not acknowledge her until the healing of her physical body had already taken place. However, this does not mean Christ’s heart was not moved in compassion on her. On the contrary, He did a much greater miracle in her life once He took the time to spend with her.

The list is quite impressive and this is by no means an all in composing list. But it does give us a sweet taste of Christ's heart. Now, how about us? How can we take this short list of outcasts and apply it to our daily lives? What types of people could we plug into this short list mentioned in this post.

• a man with leprosy = Someone struggling with cancer, or some other major chronic health issue
• tax collectors = those who might treat us unfairly
• Samaritan woman at the well = our enemies, those we have a difficult time getting along with 
• adulterous woman = the adulterous woman or man, those in unhealthy relationships, those who do not respect the sanctity of marriage 
• Pharacies = any unjust leaders or rulers, any unjust governing authorities, or politicians
• a prostitute = a prostitute
• a demon possessed man = someone hunted with a mental illness, someone with gender identity issues or someone with homosexuality issues
• a woman with the issue of blood = someone suffering from a chronic sickness, illness or disease, AIDS, HIV, etc.

I have listed some pretty difficult issues. But can I challenge you that if Jesus was walking here on earth today, these are exactly the types of people He would run into on our streets and in our societies. These are exactly the types of people His heart would long for. He desires the least of these and so should we. Do we have the compassion in our hearts to dine with unjust rulers, to set free the person with trans-gender issues? If not, why not? Why do our hearts not long to see these people set free from their chains and welcomed into the open arms of our loving savior? I love that Jesus spent so much time with the very people that society had rejected, ostracized and shunned. Studying out this list of people has given me a greater appreciation for my Lord. He never gives up on anyone! Jesus did not spend His time climbing the “social ladder” by associating with the elite crowd. He chose the least of these to spend His time with. The least of these is where Christ's heart is and the least of these is where our hearts should be also.

Lord, I  thank you for your beautiful example of loving up the least of these. Fill us with a greater level of love and compassion. We do not desire to stiff arm those around us from the chance to hear your word and feel your love and compassion through us. Soften our hearts in those moments when we would normally want to run the other direction. Give us the words to say and the right actions in these moments. We want to go where you have sent us and do what you have called us to do, even if those things don’t seem real glamorous in the eyes of this world. We know that we are not called to a life of glamour here on earth. We are called to the least of these just like you have shown us in your word. Help us to follow your example we pray.