Jesus Is Not Ashamed of Those Who Are Hurting and Hopeless

By Erik Raymond

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Christ’s Heart for the Hurting

We have two pairs of spectacles to look through when reading the Gospel accounts. With one, we perceive what is natural to us and to anyone else who would look in. With the other, we see through the eyes of Christ.

He Seemed Hopeless

One such example is found in the fifth chapter of Mark’s Gospel. Readers are greeted by this man almost as quickly as Jesus was. Mark writes in verse 3, “And when Jesus had stepped off the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.” But he’s not just a run-of-the-mill demon-possessed man that we might grow accustomed to when reading the Gospels. This guy is a serious problem for the town.

Christ Drew Near

The demoniac may have seemed far from God and an unlikely candidate for grace, but he’s just the type of person Jesus delights to deliver. Think in your mind right now about the person you think would be least likely to convert to Christianity. They aren’t more hopeless than this demoniac, are they? 

None are so far from God that his sovereign hand cannot reach them nor his saving love rescue them. Praise the Lord; this Jesus has the heart and power to recover people like you and me who are helpless and hurting.

From Demoniac to Delegate

We see the heart of Christ echoing this sentiment in this passage. The demoniac is a new man after meeting Jesus. As Jesus was leaving, he begged his new Master to let him go with him in the boat. But Jesus has other plans. He tells him in verse 19 to “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” Jesus deputizes this demoniac as his personal gospel delegate. He sends him out as his representative.

Look again at this scene through the natural lenses and be amazed at the power of Christ to transform such a man. But also, put on the second pair of glasses and marvel at the love of Christ that claims rebels like this as his own. Jesus is not ashamed of people like you and me. He welcomes us into his family of grace so that we’d boast in him and join the multitudes in marveling at him.

Taken from  Jesus Is Not Ashamed of Those Who Are Hurting and Hopeless by Erik Raymond, Copyright © June 20, 2022. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.”