Red and Yellow, Black and White, All are Precious in His Sight

The story of the "Gerasene Demoniac" is one of the strangest stories in the Bible.  As Jesus and the disciples stepped ashore in the land of the Gerasenes on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, a crazed man ran toward them.  He had been sentenced to live in a cemetery where the local people had shackled him among the tombs.  When the man saw Jesus, he ran toward him and gave a terrible scream. The Gospel writer explained, "He was possessed by an evil spirit."

Jesus took charge of the situation, releasing the man from the evil force that had possessed him.  And then things got really crazy. Jesus sent that evil presence into a herd of pigs.  The pigs panicked, bolted over the steep bank above the Galilee and down to a watery grave. INCREDIBLE!

So what's the point of the story?  It illustrates Jesus' saving mission. John write, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life.  God did not send his son into the world to condemn it, but to save it" (John 3:16-17).

Jesus continually reached out to "the least of these," the kind of people others love to condemn.  Here are just a few of the stories that fill the pages of the Gospels:

• Little Children - When the disciples saw a pack of little children climbing all over Jesus, they sent the children away. But Jesus became indignant, "Let the little children come to me! Don't stop them, for the kingdom belongs to them."

•  Zacchaeus - was condemned by the people of Jericho because, even though he was a Jew, he collected taxes from the Jewish community and sent them to Rome.  Though his neighbors condemned him, Jesus befriended Zacchaeus.

• The Samaritan Woman - Samaritans were condemned by the Jews because their Jewishness had become watered down by the beliefs and practices of other religions. When Jesus met the woman at a well in Samaria he did what no other Jewish man in that time would have done, he talked to her.  Then he asked her for a drink of water.  Then he offered her Living Water.  We can't image how shocking that would have seemed in that day.

• Two Blind Men - cried out to Jesus as he passed through their village. Their neighbors told them to "shut up" as they rushed past the men to catch a glimpse of Jesus.  However, even though the crowd was large and noisy, Jesus heard their cry for help, went to them and healed them.

• A Woman Caught in Adultery -  was brought to Jesus to test his commitment to the Law of Moses.  The Law required that the woman be stoned, even though by Jesus' time "that" law was seldom, if ever observed.  Jesus said to her accusers, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."  One by one the men dropped their stones and walked away. Though her sin was great, Jesus refused to condemn the woman.  He said, "Go and sin no more."

• The thief on the Cross - Jesus said, "Today, you will be with me in paradise."

• Those who cried, "Crucify Him!" - Jesus said, "Father, forgive them.  They don't know what they are doing."

These are just a few of the stories that illustrate what was central to the mission of Jesus. No matter how deranged or confused or broken or forgotten or needy or arrogant or annoying or insignificant or sinful... Jesus did not come to condemn, but to save.

If that was central to his mission, it should be central to everyone who follows Jesus.