Jesus loved the outcasts

Growing up in America two thousand years or so after Jesus walked the earth often makes it difficult to understand some of his teachings, it also makes it hard to relate to why those teachings seemed to rile people up so much.

Jesus was extreme. He hung out with people that he wasn't supposed to. Jews didn't associate with tax collectors, but Jesus sure did. And not only that, in Matthew 9:9-13 he recruited one to be His disciple. Being a disciple was a hard gig to get into, and Jesus picked one of the least respected people around to become one of his coveted followers.

Jewish men didn't speak with women in public. Not only did Jesus talk to women in public, in John 4:4-42 we see that he talked to a Samaritan women with a storied past. Samaritans and Jews were long standing enemies, and that was no secret. A Rabbi like Jesus mingling with a Samaritan might compare today to a high profile Israeli rubbing shoulders with a member of Hamas.  It just wouldn't make sense, unless of course you were the Son on Man, systematically destroying walls that generations of religious zeal had created.

Then of course there is the story of Jesus and the leper in Matthew 8:24. If you were a leper, you were a total outcast, but  not to Jesus. Once again, Jesus bucked convention. Once again Jesus shunned the social mores of his time in an extreme way.

The religious leaders were not fond of seeing how much care Jesus showed for the people that cultural and religious rules said should be avoided. They didn't like seeing Jesus with these groups of people, and they hated that those groups flocked to Him. And even worse for the religious folks, Jesus didn't just spend time with these people, He authentically loved them.

Jesus could have avoided many of the troubles that He faced if He had played it safe and followed the rules. If He had stuck to ministering in the same ways that were expected of Him, to the same people who already claimed to know God, then most of the hatred towards Him wouldn't have materialized the way that it did. But, the fact is, Jesus didn't play it safe. Jesus went into the trenches of the broke world that He came to save from its sins.  We're called to emulate Jesus. If we call ourselves His followers, our lives should reflect His.

So when is the last time you made a bold move against convention to show God's love?
When the last time you left the mainstream and joined the people on the fringes?
When's the last time you did something so crazy that you had to rely solely on the Holy Spirit to guide you?
If you're struggling to remember, maybe it's time you start reconsidering how committed you are to taking up your cross and following Jesus.