Every single person who was healed or addressed by Jesus in the two chapters above were nobodies to society back then: a slave; a widow's son; a prostitute; a 12-year-old girl; and a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years and had been taken advantage of by every single physician she sought for help. We don't understand in our society how useless society saw all these people:
** a slave -- you could get another.
** the widow's son -- too bad for her.
** a prostitute -- filthy of society
** a girl -- just going to grow up to be a woman
** a woman who was unclean and helpless -- just a drain on society.
Yet, what makes these people different is that Jesus loved them. Jesus saw them as individuals. Jesus saw their needs and filled them. The woman who had bled for 12 years he addressed as "Daughter." That was specific for her need. For some reason that role was one that needed addressed in her. With the prostitute, he took time to address the pharisee in the room who had already dismissed her as filth and who was judging Jesus at the same time. While addressing Simon about her, he elevated her -- he drew attention to the service she was doing him that Simon the pharisee hadn't. She washed his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair. He hadn't anointed Jesus with olive oil while she anointed his feet with perfume, very likely her most precious thing in the world. Only after justifying her verbally to the man who was condemning her, then did Jesus address her and tell her she is forgiven.
Oh, if we all could have the compassion Jesus had (and has) to the least of us. To those society throws away. Maybe during this season of Lent, the compassion of Jesus is something we all could pray for, could ask to be given. For it is God's will for us to be like Jesus. If you like you could pray this prayer: "Father God, please open my eyes and heart, my ears, my mind to those who need your compassion. Show them your love through me. Amen."