The leper had no right to approach Jesus. The law clearly stated that lepers had to be isolated from society.
In the Book of Leviticus 13:45-46 we read that “a person with an infectious skin disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as he
has the infection, he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp”.
These may seem like draconian laws, but if we remember that there was no cure for leprosy at this time, this was the best way to prevent the spread of any infectious disease. But we cannot deny that the emotional and mental trauma for the leper must have been awful. If, by some miracle, a leper thought they had been cured, they had to
undergo a long and complicated ceremony of restoration as set out in the Law before they could return to society. It was indeed a lonely existence.
Let us reconnect with the story as Jesus interacts with the leper. Remember, the leper gave Jesus the option by saying to Jesus, “ If you are willing, you can make me clean”. All eyes turn to Jesus. The Law is clear. The leper is unclean, so the leper must go.
Jesus, however, does not do this. Listen carefully as Jesus calmly and gently responds, “I am willing. Be clean.” Jesus has not been coerced into this situation. He willingly speaks to and reaches out to the leper. Jesus does not see an unclean leper. Jesus sees a desperate human being in need of understanding and compassion. It is not that Jesus recklessly defies the law. Jesus saw the real need, and with wisdom, he reached out in love.
When have you been aware of God reaching out to you as you pray? Recall this/these moments and savour the memory. There will be times when these recalled memories will encourage you as you face challenges of various kinds. If you have not already done so, consider writing those memories in a journal to be able to return to them when needed quickly. These memories build faith, hope and love.
If you cannot recall having experienced a felt sense of God’s love and long for this in your heart, you may wish to put everything aside and ask God for an experience of this love and then just pause in faithful stillness for a few minutes, drawing in the hope that your experience will come at the appropriate time.
Perhaps as you consider Jesus’ loving response to the leper, you feel an invitation
to prayerfully journey through Lent with hope by bringing before Jesus all those parts of yourself that you recognise need to be made clean.
Reflections by Cherie-Lynn van der
Merwe
