Day 3: The Outcast - Praying & Going

“ . . . invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.” (Luke 14:13)

Greg was a modern-day outcast. No, he was not poor, crippled, lame, or blind like the outcasts in Jesus’ day. He was nevertheless a true outcast.

The malady with Greg was social awkwardness, terrible clothes, and mild stuttering. He had transferred to the school two years earlier and never seemed to fit in with the other students. To the contrary, a few of his classmates taunted and bullied him and laughed at him. Even worse, no classmates came to his defense.

Greg would get pushed down in the hallway. Books would scatter everywhere. Some students laughed at him. Others looked away from him and quickly left the scene. No one helped him.

That is, no one helped him until Nathaniel decided to do something.

Nathaniel was a Christian. He knew that the bullies and the mockers were wrong. But, over a few weeks, Nathaniel began to realize he was wrong in his silence. He knew that, as a believer in Christ, he could not look away at such injustice. He also realized that he would forfeit all of his hard-earned popularity if he ever intervened on Greg’s behalf.

One day, there was the loud noise of the crowd behind the school. Three senior guys were pushing Greg, hitting him, and taunting him. Greg was bloodied and bowed. He was having trouble getting up after each shove and punch.

Nathaniel could no longer be silent. He screamed, “Stop it!” and entered the middle of the ring by Greg. He stood by the bullied student and took some blows himself. Finally, the bullies walked away with the promise that Nathaniel was forever banned from their group and relationships.

With everyone gone, Greg spoke. “I’m sorry I caused your friends to walk away from you. You should have just left them finish their beating of me.”

Nathaniel looked Greg in the eye. “No,” he said, “I owe you an apology. I watched them bully you for weeks and did nothing about it. I sure didn’t act like the Christian I claim to be.”

Nathaniel never returned to the “cool” group. He and Greg became good friends. Greg would soon tell his friend about both of his parents and two sisters dying in an automobile accident when he was 14. No one could take him into their home, but he was ultimately welcomed into a group home for boys.

And Greg eventually asked Nathaniel about his apology after the fight. “Nathaniel,” he began, “when you apologized to me after the bullies beat me up, you said you weren’t acting like the Christian you claimed to be. Can you tell me what it means to be a Christian?”

Nathaniel gladly told his friend about Jesus. He shared with Greg how he could become a Christian as well. Within moments, Greg made a decision. He repented of his sins and trusted Christ by faith as his Savior and Lord.

Would you ask God in prayer to open your eyes to those hurting around you? You will likely be amazed at the opportunities you have to minister to these “outcasts” in Jesus’ name.

And you will likely have the opportunity to share the love of Christ, so they can be embraced by the Savior. They will be an outcast no more.