Jesus and ...: How God Works Through Ordinary PeopleSample

Partnering with Jesus to Find Acceptance and Healing

The book of Luke is filled with stories of abandonment and acceptance. However, on first reading, they seem so different from our own stories that we are tempted to pass them off as irrelevant. But as we read them more closely, we discover that they address problems that are common to humanity. One of these is the story of a man with leprosy.

In the Old Testament times, people with leprosy were considered unclean and were segregated from society. The history of the disease makes Jesus’ behavior toward those suffering from leprosy remarkable. He approached the unapproachable, touched the untouchable, and accepted the unacceptable. But in the nation of Israel, where the laws were strict, and sickness was attributed to sinfulness, He also did the unimaginable. By healing leprosy, Jesus proclaimed a new kingdom, introduced a new covenant, and demonstrated that He was a new High Priest to whom the rejected could return and find cleansing, wholeness, and acceptance.

If we are going to learn from Jesus’ encounters with those who had leprosy, we first need to identify with their story. We need to remember that we were also outcasts. But unlike the sentence of separation forced on those suffering from leprosy, we were unclean by choice. Our disease was internal, a leprosy of the mind—a dirtiness of soul. We needed the cleansing blood and grace of Jesus. We still need it.

By reaching out and touching the man with leprosy, Jesus placed value on a man whom few had valued before. Jesus loved him, touched him, and spoke to him. This is what Jesus Christ has done for each one of us. To know that someone believes in us, sees potential in us, and wants the best for us is a priceless revelation.

So, what does it mean to follow Jesus and partner with Him? Jesus purposely sought out the marginalized. During His life He ate with the despised, and at His death He suffered among the rejected—outside the community.

With the gift of life, we are also given the gift of pain. We begin to understand suffering in a way that we have never understood it before. Our pain enables us to feel the pain of others in order to reach out and touch them. However, it is not our pain that we share with the world; it is God’s comfort. It is not our pain that qualifies us to help others; it is the grace that we have received that Jesus calls us to share with others.

Question to Ponder: Jesus purposely reached out to excluded people. Who are some examples of rejected people in your world? In what ways can you reach out to them to partner with Jesus?