This Easter weekend I’m thinking about who it was that Jesus died to save. There is a short answer, which I’ll state in a bit, but it may help to recognize some of the specific people named in the Gospels many would consider unlikely candidates for God’s kingdom. I’ll count down my top ten most unlikely.
10. Thomas the Apostle. This is the guy who, after following Jesus, geographically and spiritually, for about three years, heard Him foretell multiple times His resurrection from the dead and His teaching about the necessity of faith in the Son of God, and still refused to believe the other followers report that Jesus was alive until he touched His scars. Would Jesus include Thomas in His kingdom after such lack of faith? By God’s grace, I believe He did.
9. Simon the Leper. This man was a Pharisee who had had leprosy. Lepers were looked down upon by everyone, except Jesus. Simon was also a Pharisee, a group of generally hypocritical legalists who opposed Jesus more than once, ultimately successful in their condemnation of Him by the Sanhedrin and the Roman government. To me, Simon fits the bill of an enemy more than a saint; yet, Jesus chose him to host one of His last meals, a gesture of fellowship, as He neared the day of the cross.
8. Centurion with Sick Servant. Rome was the Jews’ oppressor during the time of Jesus. They treated the people of Jesus’ race unfairly and harshly, inflicting upon them unbearable burdens and talking to them as if they were dogs. A leader among such a mean class of bullies seems no candidate for the kingdom God would send His Son to populate with faith wielders. But that’s just what this man was, a faith wielder. In fact Jesus commended his faith as being greater than any He’d seen among the Jewish people. That great faith moved the centurion from unlikely to perhaps one of the greatest in the Kingdom.
7. Rich Young Ruler. This man of great wealth wanted to know from Jesus how he could gain eternal life. Jesus essentially told him it would be by being perfect in keeping the Law; then Jesus named some of the commandments, including loving his neighbor as himself. After the rich man claimed perfection under the Law, Jesus gave him a chance to prove it. By doing this additional thing, Jesus added, by liquidating his sizeable holdings and giving the proceeds to the poor. Scripture indicates that the man declined Jesus’ charge with sadness. So did Jesus die for a man who had rejected His invitation? If He did not, I’m in trouble. God gave me many opportunities to say yes to Him, and He probably did for this man also. I don’t have proof, but I believe Jesus offered His blood and body for all who would ever have an opportunity to accept His amazing gift. (Some – Calvinists and Reformists among others – may disagree with me on this one, but I stand by my words; Sorry, brothers and sisters, but I don’t hold to the Limited Atonement part of the TULIP)
6. Mary Magdalene. Two things made Mary unlikely. First, her depth of spiritual darkness. Mary had been the host of seven demons, but Jesus had freed her from them. Second was her gender. Jesus went against the grain of the culture by treating women fairly and respectfully. Jesus didn’t let her past or her gender keep Him from including her among His followers. She even ended up being the one to first discover Jesus’ empty tomb. Many would’ve consider Mary unlikely, but clearly, Jesus didn’t.
5. Matthew. Tax collectors were despised by Jews in the time of Christ. Contractors with the oppressive Roman government, tax collectors earned commission on their collections, so they became wealthy by taxing the people even more than Rome required. Someone who enjoyed the plunders of God’s chosen people and the lifestyle their ill-gotten gain afforded them flew in the faces of their fellow Jewish citizens as they continued to live among them. Yet, Jesus called Matthew and appointed him to be one of the Twelve. Matthew even penned the first Gospel, the first book of the New Testament. So, while many complained that Jesus included Matthew as one of His closest followers and friends, it’s undeniable that Jesus took him from unlikely to one who will judge the multitudes in eternity.
4. Zaccheus. Like Matthew, Zaccheus was a tax collector. Unlike Matthew, he wasn’t invited to Jesus’ close friend group. Does that imply that Zaccheus was unqualified for God’s kingdom? No. Jesus validated Zaccheus by inviting Himself to his home and having a meal of fellowship with him, a gesture of, not only acceptance, but commendation for a Jewish rabbi of the time. The basis for His approval? Zaccheus sought Jesus. Seek, Jesus taught, and you will find. Remember? Zacheus wanted so to see the Messiah that he climbed a tree to get a glimpse. There’s even a song about the diminutive tax collector (a wee little man was he) My Gramma had me sing the little song over and over to her in the cucumber field as a small child.
3. Samaritan Woman at the Well. This woman was a member of the half-breed race rejected and despised by the Jews. And she was even rejected by her own people because of her immoral lifestyle, having had five husbands and finally opting to share the bed of a man without being married. Her lifestyle would be very common in our culture, but it wasn’t in hers. And while being from a mix of races is common in our day, it set a person up for social rejection by Jews whom the Law of Moses had instructed to not intermarry with gentiles. But Jesus crossed all those lines to introduce Himself to her as Messiah. Once she understood and accepted what He offered her, she became what some consider the first evangelist, introducing the people of her village, Sychar, to the Savior of the world.
2. Woman Caught in Adultery. Of all the traps Jesus’ opponents set for Him, surely this one would capture Him. How could He support a woman caught in the act of adultery? Moses was clear about this transgression. She must be killed. Jesus had a choice. He could violate the Law or have the woman killed. He couldn’t violate the Law of Moses; that could get Him killed. As for pronouncing a sentence of death for her, He healed, freed and resurrected people; that’s why the crowds believed in Him. He was, like the woman standing before Him, caught. But the wisdom of God would free both of them. A sinner with empirical evidence against her, she would go uncondemned by God. Jesus would at the end of that week go to the cross to pay her penalty, so she could be with Him in eternity.
1. Thief on the Cross. Here’s one who wasn’t baptized, wasn’t part of Jerusalem’s fellowship of believers; we don’t even know His name. All we know about him is that He was a convicted thief who had the audacity to ask Jesus to receive him into His kingdom. And he may well have been the first soul to enter the spiritual Kingdom of God after life on earth.
Jesus specialized in changing the status of the unlikely to guaranteed recipients of eternal life. This Easter I’m so glad I’m in that class!
Excellent my brother