Consider how embarrassing it would be if the Queen of England was discovered befriending beggars. Imagine how it would be for the Oba of Benin or the Emir of Kano to be found in local bars with locals. Strange right? Now, imagine the King of Kings, Jesus, being found with the lowest class of people in His day.
Jesus was found with those who society rejected, from fishermen to tax collectors to prostitutes to insane people to blind beggars. He was not embarrassed to be in the company of outcasts.
Jesus feels at ease among those who have been marginalized by society. He has no hesitation about identifying with those who are struggling, spiritually blind, or sick in any aspect of their lives.
Here is one of the numerous instances where Jesus demonstrates His undiscriminating love for mankind;
Matthew 8:1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.
In Jewish culture, lepers were considered unclean and were ostracized from society. They were not permitted to live among people and whoever touched them was considered unclean as well.As a result, they were stigmatized and treated as lower-class people.
I can imagine how the leper felt seeing everyone avoid him due to his condition. I can imagine it because I’ve been through something similar before. I know what it’s like to be treated like a scumbag because of how life has treated me. I know what it’s like to be scorned and abandoned when you need people the most.
Do you know how it feels? To have visible spots on your character, health or mind that you refuse to wash away. And because they are visible, no one wants to be with you. You are left alone!
That is the climax of whatever punishment you want to give to a person. Even God said it is not good for man to be alone. We were never created to be alone.
But there is a way the circumstances of life will treat you, you will be considered unattractive by many. And you will be left alone. Left alone to ponder on the misery of your situation. Left alone to beg for food to eat. Left alone to live for survival.
The leper was left alone because of a leprosy that was never his fault! Have you ever gone through battles you did not cause? Have you ever found yourself in tough situations you know you did not deserve? This leper was in such situation.
But one day, Jesus was passing the very place the leper was. And the leper ran to meet Him. This is where some of us fail as believers. I wish I had done this earlier. Some of us run from Jesus instead of running to Him.
We do not want him to see our leprosy so we either run from Him or try to hide our leprosy.
So in Church, we act like holy saints when we are dying in sin within. We shout ‘praise the Lord’ when we are doubting God within.
We dance in Church and cry at home. We smile in public and mourn in secret. We put on a false appearance because we afraid of being judged or condemned like in the past.
But Jesus does not condemn 😥Isaiah 42:3 says, ‘A bruised weed he will not break’.
Men condemn and abandon because that is the only thing they can do. They have no power to change, deliver or heal. But Jesus is our savior. He can mend the broken hearts and set the oppressed free!
The Leper asked for healing.
I was walking home (Benin, Edo state, Nigeria) one day, and a very little girl ran to me. She was dirty looking and had a very bad odor oozing off her mouth.
She also had a pus on her face. Obviously, she was a beggar. I was so irritated by her appearance that I crossed to the other side of the road just to avoid having to look at her.
I was disgusted by the appearance of a beggar with a little pulse. Imagine how Jesus is supposed to have felt being close to a man with stinking LEPROUSY! Any other person would run away, but Jesus stayed. Because He is not disgusted by our leprosy. In fact, our leprosy is the reason He wants to be with us.
He came for the sick, remember? Luke 5:32.
And He touched the leper. No man had ever touched the leper for years, but Jesus did, and His touch healed the leper.
Jesus wants to touch you. He said to the leper, ‘I am willing’ (Matthew 8:3). Jesus is willing to heal you. He is willing to make you whole again.
What is your ‘leprosy’? Depression. Anxiety. Fears, even doubts. Confusion. Uncertainty. Today you feel you believe God and the next day, you are on the verge of losing hope.
You are the exact person wants to touch. He is the physician looking for the sick. The Advocate looking for the condemned. The Light looking for darkened hearts (John 8:12). The healer looking for wounded souls (Matthew 8:16). The High Priest looking for sinful lives (Hebrews 4:14)
All you have to do is open up your heart, your heart, your weaknesses to Him. Welcome His presence into your life and trust Him not to make you better, but to make you NEW.
Fam 😊 I need a little favor from you…. actually two favors. I really want to hear from you, so if you were blessed by this post, drop a comment, I will reply ASAP. Then, I need you to subscribe to the blog (it’s free), so that you will be getting these inspiring updates easily. Thank you 😊❤
KOINONIA ART 