Ten lepers had called out, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” Jesus saw them, saw their pain, heard their plea, and sent them off to the priest. The priest was the only one who could declare them clean or unclean. In faith, and perhaps desperation, they obeyed Jesus. They allowed Jesus to step into their pain and believed that he would give them hope. They left Jesus as lepers and arrived at the
priest healed of their affliction.
Jesus had only one requirement for healing: faith. He often asked those wanting to be healed, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28) When he healed the lepers, they showed their faith by walking away without even a touch from Jesus.
Perhaps, in these times, it was easy to have this “blind” faith and trust in
Jesus, more so than it is today. Jesus was with the people. Many miracles and healings had been experienced, witnessed and heard about. Perhaps the presence of Jesus made faith stronger and belief easier.
Jesus is always with us. He is in our pain and in our place of need, whether physical or metaphorical. Jesus offers us hope and healing. We only need to have faith. In moments of pain, people search for hope and are open and ready to
receive it. In these moments, and others, we can offer the same hope of the Gospel that Jesus shares with us. Our communities are in pain, grieving, and suffering. Let us show up, step in and bring a sense of healing with our presence, our touch, our conversation, and our faith.
Reflect on those in your family and community. How are you stepping into their lives to bring them good news and hope?
Reflections by Gillian Hugo
