John 1:17 tells us that “… the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Jesus was the embodiment of God’s grace. Grace is not getting what you deserve but getting the opposite instead. We must understand that God does both for us. In Christ we are not just saved from God’s wrath, we are given the utter opposite. We are given a kindness so great that we could call it infinite.

In the life of Christ we see the unfolding revelation of God’s grace. From the very beginning at the birth of Christ we can see that something extraordinary was happening. When the angels came to give the most important announcement ever given, whom did they go to? You would think they would go to the elite, the most important people in the land. Yet, they went to the shepherds. Shepherding was considered the most lowly profession a person could have. They went to the people you were not supposed to pay any attention to.

The unfolding of Grace continued in Jesus’ life. He gave people the love they were not supposed to get. People who were supposed to get wrath got blessing instead.

Jesus loved the people you were suppose to hate. In the gospels we often hear about how Jesus treated tax collectors and prostitutes. It is no accident that Jesus had many encounters with people such as these. In that day people considered the tax collectors to be the worst sinners of all, and the prostitutes were only slightly better.

Jesus touched people you were not supposed to touch. The Jews were very into what was clean and what was unclean. That which was unclean was not to be touched. It is hard for us to imagine, but in Jesus’ day people like the lepers, the blind, and the lame were considered God’s outcasts. Most thought their condition came either because they had sinned or their parents had sinned. People such as the lame, the blind, and especially the lepers were considered unclean, and they were not to be touched.

We think of Jesus’ laying hands on the sick as a method. Many of us lay hands on sick people today when we pray, because Jesus did so. What we miss is that when Jesus laid hands on the sick, it was not a technique or method. It was a statement. It was a statement of God’s acceptance. It was saying that which every one thought God hated was beloved. What everyone thought was unclean was clean. No doubt such a touch from Jesus not only healed the body but also the soul.

Jesus even blessed the gentiles. The gentiles were the dogs. They were ones most deserving God’s wrath. Yet, in Christ they got God’s blessing. Outrageous!

It is not hard to understand why Jesus’ love upset some people. Think of the person or persons you consider most evil. Maybe that person brought great harm to your life. Maybe you found their evil disgusting. What if they got the exact opposite of what they deserved? Would that upset you?

The grace of God was upsetting to some, but to others it was good news. It meant that outrageous love had come for them. God was going to give them he opposite of what they deserved.

Have you let outrageous love come for you? Have you let outrageous love come for your neighbor, or have you stood in its way?