The story of the Good Samaritan should have been some indication, but his life gave the full picture—Jesus came for all and loved all. If God shows no favoritism, why should we?
T. B. Maston wrote:
Few things will reveal more about our relationship with Jesus, our being possessed by the Spirit, than our attitude toward and treatment of the moral lepers, the social outcasts of our society.
T. B. Maston, To Walk as He Walked
Even if loving social outcasts and moral lepers were easy, which it’s not, I’ve also discovered neither is loving your own brother or sister. All people have a history, a brokenness, and reason to be rejected—I sure do. So, who am I to reject a person because society does?
Jesus definitely showed us a stark reality—societal norms have no place in kingdom work. He dared talk to a Samaritan woman and a hated tax collector; he touched real lepers and put his hands on the eyes of a blind man. In a time when illness was considered a curse from God, Jesus was not intimidated. When Jews spit on tax collectors, looked down on women, and hated Samaritans, Jesus gave them value by talking with them.
Though societal norms may be an excuse we use to keep a distance, the real reason we don’t reach out to the least of these for Jesus rests in pride. To make a difference for Christ, we must be different in how we act toward others.
James wrote to believers about how to treat others:
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism…Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
James 2:1, 5 NIV
What is God asking of you in regard to the outcasts in your sphere of influence? Find strength through the Spirit to reach out with the love Christ first showed you.
Grace and Peace