Title:- Touching Lepers
Leviticus 13:45,46 “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his moustache, and cry, 'Unclean! Unclean!' He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.
In my personnel report, which was submitted to the human resources department, I recommended him for ‘sincere consideration for any job openings within the company.’ Indeed, I encouraged the company concerned ‘to take him on’ by writing “As soon as a vaccine exists, I recommend that you employ him.” Of course, I had meant to say vacancy . What a difference the addition a small consonant can make to a phrase!
The spell checker took me from vacancy to ‘vaccine’ in one fell swoop. That is my case your honour and I’m sticking to it! Spell-checkers aren’t that clever after all, but then again neither am I. By the way, they never did ask me what disease I thought he had, or how infectious he was. Maybe it didn’t matter. Thankfully, it doesn’t matter to Jesus either; He was and is very familiar with the touching of lepers.
The cruel and crippling desensitizing and disfiguring nature of leprosy, from the beginning, has led it to be a despicable picture of the internal corruption that sin besets us all with. Most of us are aware of this within us, but live in such a denial of its all-pervading influence, that we function on the level of cynical comparisons saying, “Well, I’m not as bad as her,” or “I could be worse, like him over there” and “It’s not that bad really.” From our early years, we have all been trying to change the habit, improve the propensity, and practice pleasant-hood, all in an attempt to remove the leprous spot from us. It cannot be done. I wonder maybe, if we need to see the horror of it more, or be more filled with the stench of it, or have it consume us and eat us up a little bit more, before we lay aside our pride and go running to Jesus, in desperation for help and healing.You know, I see desperation more and more, as a divine gift. Maybe the most merciful one we could ever receive. Luke, the doctor, tells us of a man in a certain city, FULL of leprosy who ran to Jesus and said “If you are willing you can make me clean.” Tell me, how full of leprous sin do you see yourself today? Where are you running to for help?
Listen: - Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him. Luke 5:13
Pray: - Thank You that You are more willing to heal me, than I am to be healed. Reach, touch, and cleanse me today, oh my Saviour, for You are my only hope. Amen.
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