EVERYBODY IS A SOMEBODY
"The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." John 6:37 (NKJV)
No matter who you are, no matter where you come from or what you do, you're still important to me. I will always accept you. That's essentially what Jesus proclaimed as He said, "The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."
Sounds good, but how do we know this is really true? When we read through the gospels, we can't help but notice that Jesus spent a lot of time with the people who were the outcasts of His culture. The unwanted, the unloved, the nobodies. The lowest of the low.
Children: In biblical times, children were held in very low esteem.
They were thought to be burdens and liabilities until they were capable of "pulling their own weight" in the fields or in some other trade that had been predetermined for them. Children were so insignificant that most adults usually ignored them. Jesus didn't share this view (although His disciples did in Mark 10:13!), instead taking time to bless and heal children. Jesus even used them as a model of those who are greatest in God's kingdom (Matthew 18:4).
Women: Things were also difficult for women in Jesus' day.
They, too, were viewed as having nothing meaningful to contribute to society. All the social rights and privileges belonged to the male gender, and Jewish men would routinely pray and thank God that they had not been born as women! But Jesus made it a point to include women among His followers (Mark 15:40-41). And when all was said and done, it was a contingency of faithful women who were at the cross during His dying hours-not the disciples.
The Sick: The prevailing thought among the Jews was that sickness was evidence of God's judgment. Consequently, they felt that those who were sick were suffering due to some secret sin harbored in their hearts. Need I elaborate on how little compassion and help they were shown?
Again, Jesus went right to the people whom the world had cast aside, and you can't read very far in the gospels before you see Christ interacting with someone suffering from some sort of sickness.
Everybody is somebody in Jesus' eyes.
All people are important to Him, and He's willing to spend time with anyone who's willing to spend time with Him.
Discuss with your group the idea of outcasts.
In our society today, who would be labeled as such?
Dig into Isaiah 58:6–10.
What kind of people are described?
Decide to embrace those the world looks down upon.
Working with your small group leader, plan a project to show the love of Jesus to the homeless, the imprisoned, or those suffering from HIV.
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