Clean And Free

Clean And Free

In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” Luke 5:12-14

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic condition that affects the eyes, skin, peripheral nerves, and respiratory tract. Infections and injuries resulting from a lack of sensation can cause everything from wounds to the loss of fingers or toes. Even today, leprosy is difficult to treat, and the scars are permanent.

There are only a few cases of Hansen’s disease in the United States today, but from 1894 to 1999, most patients were sent to the national leprosarium in Carville, Louisiana, to be physically isolated from the rest of the population. Currently, treatment is centered on prevention and rendering patients noncontagious by using medications. As a result, patients no longer have to be kept in isolation.

During Jesus’ time, leprosy was so highly contagious that people were forbidden to even touch a leper. In many places, lepers had to ring bells and shout, “Unclean!” to warn people. Yet Jesus had no hesitation about touching the lepers he encountered. He reached out and healed them with the touch of his hand.

Though we can now cure Hansen’s disease with medications, we cannot reverse the damage already done. Scars don’t magically disappear, and missing digits cannot be restored. Yet, when Jesus healed the leper, the man appeared as if he’d never had the disease. This medical miracle points to God’s complete control over illness and disease.

Jesus not only wants to heal us physically, but he also wants to heal our social prejudices. By caring for the sick, the outcast, and the downtrodden, Jesus takes those who are unclean and cleanses them physically, spiritually, and culturally.

TODAY’S RX

When Jesus heals us, he cures not only the sickness, but also the social ills that go along with it.

Jesus, I take comfort in knowing that when you died on the cross, you didn’t cleanse me of just some of my sin, but all of it. I am a new creation in you, and I thank you for fully restoring my life.