Discover Jesus: The Kindness of God

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions… in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7

When we read about the life of Jesus and His teachings in the Bible, we see overwhelming kindness. Jesus went out of His way to heal the sick, feed the hungry, teach those who were listening, and care for the rejected and vulnerable. He spent all His time with the poor, weary, lonely, and outcast.

One example of Jesus’ kindness is His treatment of those with leprosy. Leprosy is a chronic disease that affects the skin, peripheral nerves, upper respiratory tract, and eyes. It brings deformity and is highly contagious. In Jesus’ day, people with leprosy were driven out of society and forced to live in isolation. Their life was one of continuous loss and loneliness.

But this was not the case with Jesus. His radical kindness is shown as He approaches and touches those with leprosy. In Matthew 8:1-4, we see a leper approaching Jesus, saying, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus does what no one else would do. He reaches out His hand and touches the man, and he says, ‘I am willing.’
By healing this man and others with leprosy, Jesus not only cured them physically, He restored their dignity and allowed them to rejoin their families and society. Jesus gave those who were ‘dead’ new life.