Jesus and the Outcasts: Why He Chose the Unwanted
Jesus and the Outcasts: Why He Chose the Unwanted
In the dusty streets of ancient Judea, where religious leaders walked in fine robes and society was divided between the righteous and the sinners, Jesus of Nazareth did the unthinkable—He sought out those everyone else had rejected. Tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, Gentiles, the demon-possessed—these were the people He called friends. While the Pharisees and scribes kept themselves ceremonially clean, Jesus touched the unclean, ate with the despised, and declared that the Kingdom of God belonged to them.
Why?
This is the story of how Jesus turned the world upside down by loving the outcasts—and why that same radical love still challenges us today.
The Scandal of Jesus’ Love
From the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus defied expectations. When He stood in the synagogue in Nazareth and announced His mission (Luke 4:18-19), He didn’t quote the expected verses about a conquering Messiah. Instead, He read from Isaiah:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”
This was a declaration: His kingdom was not for the proud, the powerful, or the self-righteous. It was for the broken.
The Tax Collector Who Became a Disciple
One of the most hated men in Capernaum was Matthew (also called Levi), a tax collector. Jewish tax agents were seen as traitors—collaborating with Rome and extorting their own people. Yet one day, Jesus walked up to Matthew’s tax booth and said two words: “Follow me.” (Matthew 9:9)
The religious leaders were horrified. “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” they asked the disciples (Matthew 9:11). Jesus’ answer cut to the heart of His mission: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Matthew left everything behind and became not just a follower, but one of the Twelve.
The Woman at the Well: A Social Outcast Accepted
In Samaria, Jesus did something no respectable Jewish rabbi would do—He spoke to a Samaritan woman (John 4). Worse, she had a scandalous past, having had five husbands and now living with a man not her husband. Culturally, she was triply rejected: as a Samaritan (despised by Jews), as a woman (whose testimony was considered unreliable), and as an immoral person.
Yet Jesus didn’t condemn her. He offered her living water—eternal life. And in a stunning reversal, this outcast became one of the first evangelists, running back to her town to declare, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
The Leper No One Would Touch
Leprosy in the ancient world wasn’t just a disease—it was a sentence of exile. Lepers were forced to live outside cities, shouting “Unclean!” to warn others away. Yet when a leper approached Jesus, begging to be healed, Jesus did the unthinkable: He touched him (Mark 1:40-42).
Under Jewish law, touching a leper made you ceremonially unclean. But Jesus’ touch didn’t defile Him—it healed the leper. In that moment, Jesus showed that love was greater than ritual purity.
Zacchaeus: The Chief Tax Collector Who Found Grace
Zacchaeus was a wealthy but despised man—a chief tax collector who had grown rich by overcharging his own people. When Jesus came to Jericho, Zacchaeus climbed a tree just to see Him. To everyone’s shock, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:5)
The crowd grumbled. “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner!” But that encounter changed Zacchaeus forever. He repented, vowing to repay those he had cheated fourfold. Jesus declared, “Today salvation has come to this house!”
The Prostitute Who Anointed His Feet
One of the most scandalous moments in Jesus’ ministry was when a “sinful woman” (likely a prostitute) entered a Pharisee’s house, weeping, and anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume (Luke 7:36-50). The host, Simon, was disgusted. “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him!”
But Jesus saw her heart. “Her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown.” Then He told her, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Why Did Jesus Choose the Unwanted?
To Reveal the Heart of God – The religious leaders saw God as a strict judge who favored the righteous. Jesus revealed Him as a Father who runs to embrace prodigals (Luke 15:20).
To Show That No One Is Beyond Redemption – If even tax collectors and prostitutes could be transformed by grace, then no one is too far gone.
To Expose Religious Hypocrisy – The Pharisees kept the law outwardly but were full of pride. The outcasts knew their need for mercy—and received it.
To Fulfill the True Meaning of the Law – Jesus didn’t abolish the law; He fulfilled it by showing that love was always its true purpose (Matthew 22:37-40).
The Challenge for Us Today
Jesus’ love for the outcasts wasn’t just a historical fact—it’s a living challenge. Who are the “unwanted” in our world today? The addict? The prisoner? The immigrant? The person whose past is full of shame?
If we claim to follow Jesus, we must go where He went—to the margins, to the broken, to those the world has cast aside. Because the Kingdom of God doesn’t belong to the self-righteous. It belongs to those who know they need a Savior.