"When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.' He stretched out his hand, and touched him saying, 'I do choose. Be made clean.' Immediately his leprosy was cleansed."
Matthew 8:1-3
Under Jewish law, if you were leprous, you were isolated from the rest of the community and condemned unclean. To be unclean was to be unholy, and the furthest away from God that someone could be. A person afflicted with leprosy was socially and spiritually dead [see Leviticus 13-14]. So when Jesus comes down the mountain and is approached by a leper, He is being approached by someone beyond the fringes of society.
We hear the leper's words not as a questioning of Jesus' healing power, but instead as a profession of faith - "Lord, you can make me clearn" - and in response to the man's faith, Jesus cleanses him. What occurs here is more significant than just a changing of a skin condition. Jesus took a man who was, for all intents and purposes, dead to the world, and resurrected him, so to speak, giving him new life and enabling him to share in the community of faith.
Each of us, regardless of our upbringing, ailments, or socio-economic status, have either felt dead to the world or have been dead to the world at some point in time in our lives. Yet, we come to understand that we have been offered life anew in Christ Jesus; not that we would keep that life to ourselves, but that we would share in this joy with one another and spread this good news. Jesus' own death and resurrection are an example to us that our sufferings, be they grand or small, cannot conquer the love and will of God.
Reflection Questions:
- Who do you know that is experiencing life on the fringes of society? How have you engaged them?
- When you pray for God's action in your life, is your prayer a questioning of God's ability to act or a profession of faith that God can act?
- How have situations in your life affected the way that you pray in this way?
Practices of Preparation:
- PRAYERS - take time to in your prayers to audibly profess your faith, even if you aren't sure of how strong or weak it is
- PRESENCE - drive or walk around your neighborhood - work or home - and reflect on where the fringes of society are in your midst
- GIFTS - give a can of food or an extra dollar as a part of your offering to assist the McFarlin Food Pantry and Utilities Assistance programs
- SERVICE - call or visit someone who know who is feeling "dead to the world"
- WITNESS - share with someone how you experienced God by practicing one of these four things listed above
Yours,
Michael C. Andres
Director of Discipleship
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