He Came for the Outcasts
When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician,
but those who are sick.
I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
(Mark 2:17 NKJV)
Jesus came for the outcasts, not for the squeaky clean “religious” people who believed they had no need for a Savior. The tone of His ministry was set by the first three miracles He did for those then regarded as being on the lowest rung of the social ladder.
The first miracle was a leper, the ultimate outcast in society.
And behold, a leper came and worshipped Him saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him saying, “I am willing, be cleansed.” Immediately, his leprosy was cleansed (Matthew 8:3-4 NKJV).
Jesus “touched” him. It was probably the first time the man had experienced a human touch in years. When his leprosy had come upon him, he would have had to leave his home and his loved ones to live a lonely, love-starved existence with death as the only possible release.
The next miracle was for a centurion, requesting help for his desperately sick servant. Not only was this man a Gentile, but as a Roman soldier he was part of the hated Roman occupation.
Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him” (Matthew 8:5-7 NKJV).
The third miracle was for Peter’s mother-in-law. In the Hebrew culture of those days, women were regarded as second-class citizens. They were totally subject to their husbands and were not allowed to give witness in a court of law. Often, they were regarded on the same level as farm animals. (Side note: if you want to know how Jesus views women, read the gospels and see who He appeared to first and trusted with the news of His resurrection.)
Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her (Matthew 8:14-15 NKJV).
The list of Jesus serving the outcasts goes on and on. He healed the woman with a hemorrhagic issue. For this woman, there was virtually nothing that could have been worse than her situation. Having a perpetual flow of blood would have made her unclean. She would not have been allowed to touch her husband or her children. Anything she touched would have been considered unclean, so she would not even have been able to take care of her home. She would have been socially ostracized and left to a lonely existence. The physical load must also have been unbearable, constant exhaustion and the endless rounds of supposed cures. She reached out to Jesus, and He to her.
For she said, “If only I may teach His clothes, I shall be made well”…. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you sell. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction” (Mark 5:28, 34 NKJV).
If you feel like an outcast, and wonder if He has time for you, He does. He came for people like you. Reach out to Him and you will feel His loving touch.
