Healing the Leper

 

Then a leper came to Jesus, knelt in front of Him and appealed to Him:

“If you want to, you can make me clean.”

Jesus was filled with pity for him, and stretched out His hand,

And placed it on the leper, saying,

“Of course I want to – be clean!”

Mark 1:40, 41

I have psoriasis.  As diseases go, I guess this one is tolerable – at least for me.  I have lived with it for almost 50 years.  It flares up at times, depending on my stress level and what I eat, and then calms back down.  But it never leaves.  There is no known cure.

Back in biblical times, almost any skin disease could be diagnosed by the priests as leprosy – psoriasis, eczema, or actual leprosy.  Anyone who was declared a leper was separated from society and their families so that they did not spread the disease.  The had to cry out, “Unclean!” so that people could avoid them.  They lived and died alone.

This story told by Mark is so compassionate; the leper approaches Jesus, and instead of demanding or pleading, he puts the ball in Jesus’ court by saying, “if you want to, you can do this.”  Jesus reaches out to touch the man, exclaiming, “Of course I want to!”  and Jesus’ touch brings healing.

Summer Reading - New Testament

• Sunday, June 13  Mark 7-9
• Monday, June 14  Mark 10-12
• Tuesday, June 15  Mark 13-15
• Wednesday, June 16  Mark 16
• Thursday, June 17  Luke 1-3
• Friday, June 18  Luke 4-6
• Saturday, June 19  Luke 7-9
• Sunday, June 20  Luke 10-12
• Monday, June 21  Luke 13-15