‘A Leper Cleansed!’
12 After Jesus calls Simon Peter, James and
John to follow him in Luke’s gospel we find Jesus in one of the towns of
Galilee. A man covered with leprosy and ‘unclean’, sees Jesus and falls with
his face to the ground before him. The leprous man begs Jesus saying, “Lord,
if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 13 Jesus reaches out his hand and
touches this ‘unclean leprous man and says, “I am willing; be clean!”
Immediately the leprosy leaves and the man is made clean.
14 Jesus orders the man to go to the priests
as a testimony to them and to offer the sacrifices Moses commanded for the
cleansing lepers (Lev. 14). This would testify to Jesus’ power to restore a
leper to the temple and to the community. Jesus also shows his respect for the Law
of Moses and the Levitical system. Jesus
may have wanted the man to go immediately in the event anyone wanted to undermine
the man’s restoration in opposition to Jesus. 15 Also in Mark we’re told that this
healing increased the crowds so that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly
(Mk 1:45). Luke doesn’t say that the man went against Jesus’ wishes but that
the news of Jesus spread and the crowds came to hear Jesus and to be healed of
their sicknesses. 16 We
also learn that Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
The desperate state of
this man stands out here. Jesus was his only hope of restored fellowship. He
lived in isolation. He was contaminated with leprosy and had to be isolated in
order to not spread his disease to other people. Whoever touched him would
become unclean and yet he begs Jesus to touch him. He is convinced that Jesus
could make him clean and that Jesus would be immune to contamination. He
believed that Jesus had access to resources that could make him ‘clean’ and
restore him to fellowship with God and people. Ironically, Peter was aware of
his own sinfulness and said, ‘Go away Lord’! This man fully aware of his ‘unclean’
status said, “Lord, … touch and make me clean!” Jesus did and the story depicts
the redemptive and restorative power of God at work in and through Jesus!
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