A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. Mark 1:40-42
Leprosy or Hansen's Disease is defined as: A chronic, mildly infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, affecting the peripheral nervous system, skin, and nasal mucosa.
Background:
A little confusing i must admit, but in Leviticus the laws are laid out for dealing with people with leprosy and other skin related diseases. A man with leprosy was ceremonially unclean. We think big deal, but to the Pharisees and religious teachers of this day and age it was a huge deal. The Jews were a nation set apart to God, and the pharisees thought of themselves as the religious elites. So to be ceremonially unclean was more than just needing to take a bath or wash your skin, to the Pharisees it meant defilement and separation from God. So this leper was a social outcast, an untouchable person, someone to avoid at all cost and looked down upon by everyone.
Now Hansen's Disease as described in Philip Yancey's book "Where is God When it Hurts?" Describes this disease in terms of the damage to the lepers peripheral nervous system. As the nerve cells die the sensation of feeling is lost. This leads to cuts and bruises and twisted ankles that go without any notice; no notice, no treatment. If you felt no pain, you might not wake up to your fingers being gnawed off by a rat, you would wake up later missing some digits. No pain, may mean you scratch your nose until it bleeds. This is Gross, but true, and i do have a point.
Application:
Jesus does something here that was completely counter cultural, He touches the man. Now Jesus could have just said, "be healed!" and the man would have been healed. But i would argue that Jesus knew that the pain was more than skin deep. By touching the leper, Jesus had removed the social stigma that hung around his heart. Jesus did not just clean up the visible mess and make things look better on the outside, He cut deep and went straight for the real pain, and He healed the man fully. Feeling for the first time in years, the man told everyone he could. No more shame; no more numbness; he was renewed and restored; he was changed by the love of God.
Do you think you have problems? Are you a little (or a lot) messed up inside? Have you been labeled or scared or hurt by the people in your life? With all love i say, welcome to the family. We are dysfunctional at best, I especially, but I love Jesus (as others do also) and I have good news for you; He loves you. He understands the rejection, His own people killed Him. He understands abandonment, His best friends left Him in His hour of need. He understands your pain, He surrendered His life because of it. Jesus wants a personal relationship with you, He wants you to repent of your sins and experience true life in His grace and love. He wants to heal you fully. I invite you to trust your life in His loving arms, to repent, turn to God and be saved. Will you answer His call and be healed?
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