Jesus came for the Lost

Jesus came for the lost, the forgotten, the mistreated.

He touched the unclean – the lepers

“A man with leprosy came to … and Jesus, filled with compassion, touched him and said, ‘I am willing. Be clean!’” (Mark 1:40-42)

• Matthew 8:3 – “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately, he was cleansed of his leprosy.”
• Luke 5:12-13 – “W
• hile Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. Seeing him, Jesus said, ‘Be clean!’ And immediately the leprosy left him.”

He was touched by the forsaken – The bleeding

• Matthew 9:20-22 – “Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.’ Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed at that moment.”
• Mark 5:25-34 – Gives the full story, emphasizing her faith and Jesus’ response: “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
• Luke 8:43-48 – Highlights her courage and persistence despite social stigma.
• 1 Samuel 16:12-13 – “So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; this is the one.’ So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.”

But used him to bring down the mighty,

“God chose the lowly things of this world… to shame the strong.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28)

God also works through those overlooked by society: Rahab, the harlot, protected God’s people,

The harlot Rahab

• Joshua 2:1, 6-7 – “Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim… Rahab the prostitute… hid the spies and said, ‘I know that the Lord has given this land to you…’”
• Hebrews 11:31 – “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.”
• James 2:25 – “In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?”

He uses the broken pages, the discarded scraps, the thrown pieces of tassels

The woman at the well (with a dirty past), shunned for her past, became a messenger of living water, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did… could this be the Messiah?” (John 4:29).

• John 4:7-10 – “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’… Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’”
• John 4:28-30, 39-42 – “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did…’”

He went to the homes of the most hated – the tax collectors.

• Matthew 9:10-11 – “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’”
• Luke 19:1-10 – “Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector… Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house.’”

Jesus forgave the one caught red-handed

• John 8:10-11 – “Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’”
• Luke 7:47 – “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

God uses anyone and everyone, no matter our past.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” (Romans 8:28)

All He needs is a heart that’s willing, broken, unmatched, unraveled, and undone. A heart that is willing is the one He uses. Off cuts, broken pieces bound, individual pieces, unseen, unused, held together.

No matter who you are, where you are, where you have been, or what you have done. If you are willing, if you confess Jesus as Lord, repent & ask for forgiveness, believe in Him, He is faithful to forgive. And He will use you mightily with all your broken pieces.

• Isaiah‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬ — *“*Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”

The question is: Are you willing? Bring it to Him as you are. He will fix you. He sees you. He sees your heart, and He loves you.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Scriptures:

• Luke 19:10 — “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
• Matthew 8:17 — “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”
• Mark 2:17 — “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
• Psalm 34:18 — “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
• 1 John 1:9 — “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
• Isaiah 61:1 — “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives.”
• Jeremiah 29:11 — “For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

This has inspired my Junk Journal Collection and the Bible Tassels, broken, mismatched, unwanted pieces now made beautiful. Coming soon to Natural Nest.

Shalom,

Following God’s Ways,

Natasha Chetty.