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“COMEBEMYFOLLOWER”
words while her sister, Martha, bustled about and fretted
over the preparation of food. Jesus commended Mary for
setting proper priorities.—Luke 10:39-42.
10 The sick too flocked to Jesus, although they were often
treated as outcasts by the religious leaders. The Mosaic
Law had provisions for quarantining lepers for health
reasons, but there was no basis for unkindness. (Leviticus,
chapter 13) Later rabbinic rules, however, stated that
lepers were as offensive as excrement. Some religious
leaders went so far as to throw stones at lepers to keep
them at a distance! It is hard to imagine how those who
had been treated that way could summon the courage to
approach any teacher, but lepers did approach Jesus. One
uttered this famous expression of faith: “Lord, if you just
want to, you can make me clean.” (Luke 5:12) In the next
chapter, we will discuss Jesus’ response. For now, suffice
it to say that there could hardly be more vivid proof that
Jesus was approachable.
11 Those who felt burdened by guilt freely approached
Jesus. Think, for example, of the time when Jesus was
dining at the home of a Pharisee. A woman who was
known to be a sinner came in and knelt at Jesus’ feet,
weeping over her guilt. Her tears bathed his feet, and she
used her hair to dry them. While Jesus’ host recoiled and
judged Jesus harshly for allowing this woman to come
near, Jesus kindly commended the woman for her sincere
repentance and assured her of Jehovah’s forgiveness.
(Luke 7:36-50) Today more than ever, people who
10. How was Jesus different from the religious leaders in the way he
dealt with the sick?
11. What example shows that those burdened with guilt felt free to
approach Jesus, and why is this important?
“Let the young children come to me”