I wish to begin our message today with two quotes by Mother Teresa. Here is the first quote: “The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.”(1) In her humanitarian efforts in Calcutta, Mother Teresa observed much rejection and hopeless, as very few people would reach out to help and show they cared. One of the reasons why people fail to assist the sick and needy is because they are afraid of becoming contaminated by unsanitary living conditions, catching an illness and getting themselves sick.
This observation leads to her second quote: “One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody.”(2) People can become so afraid of catching an illness or disease, that they will stay clear of anyone who has an infirmity, never befriending the individual, and therefore never demonstrating much-needed love and compassion. In this manner people miss an opportunity to make an eternal impact on someone’s life, and they fail to become “something” to “someone.” They instead go through life in their own insulated bubble being “nobody” to “anybody.”
In our message this morning, we will see how Jesus challenged the people of His day to realize that caring for the spiritual needs of others far supersedes one’s own selfish plans, or one’s desire for self-preservation; and what we will learn can be applied to how we treat people today who have a strange, frightening or misunderstood illness.
Jesus Allowed the Sick to Draw Near (v. 40)
40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
We read here that a leper approached Jesus begging for His help. It was considered risky business for someone to be in close proximity to a leper, for leprosy is a contagious and infectious disease. It is “characterized by disfiguring skin sores, nerve damage, and progressive debilitation.”(3) Body parts “can become numb or diseased as a result of infection; infection results in tissue loss, so fingers and toes become shortened and deformed as the cartilage is absorbed into the body.”(4)
Before modern medicine, leprosy was a terminal illness and greatly feared; therefore, the leper was to be kept at a distance so that the disease could not be spread to others. Old Testament law prescribed strict guidelines for handling those with leprosy. In Leviticus 13:45-46, it is stated,
Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, 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.
We learn from these verses in Leviticus how the leper was considered unclean, or highly contagious, and this fact could not be emphasized enough. In these two verses alone, the word “unclean” was mentioned five times. M. G. Easton, in Easton’s Bible Dictionary, commenting on the rules assigned to the leper, elaborated, “He had further to warn passers-by to keep away from him . . . nor could he speak to any one, or receive or return a salutation, since in the East this involves an embrace.”(5)
If a leper was not supposed to draw near to anyone or even speak with them, then this man was making a legally unacceptable move, which portrays his great desperation to find a solution for his illness. Jesus was also challenging the social norm by allowing this man to approach Him, when He should have warned the leper to keep away. The text states that “a leper came to Him . . . kneeling down to Him” (v. 40). The leper had to be in close proximity in order to kneel before Jesus.
The fear of contracting a terminal illness is not uncommon today. Take, for example, the way people behave around those who carry the HIV virus, that when contracted can lead to the AIDS disease. A study was conducted back in 1999 by members of the Psychology faculty at the University of California at Davis concerning how people feel and react toward those who have AIDS.(6) Based on the findings acquired from three national telephone surveys, here is what they concluded:
Many Americans still express fear and discomfort about people with AIDS. In 1999, thirty percent of those polled [stated they] would feel uncomfortable having their children attend school with another child who has AIDS, and twenty-two percent [stated they] would feel uncomfortable around an office coworker with AIDS.(7)
I recall the period around the 1980’s when cancer was being emphasized in the public eye, and how it was greatly misunderstood. Some people thought that cancer might be contagious, and kept their distance from those who had it. Others remained at a distance because they felt awkward, and were afraid of saying something that would emotionally wound the individual. Michael Zevon, with ABC News Health, says,
There’s a strong mythology that accompanies the word “cancer.” Indeed there’s been research that’s shown just saying the word “cancer” or reading the word “cancer” causes significant anxiety and anxiousness in over fifty percent of the people who see the word. So people react to this illness in a very strong, emotional sense. When people feel anxious they will often stay away from the source of that anxiety.(8)
Human nature is to be afraid of what we do not understand. How many times do we become anxious around those who have a scary or misunderstood illness, and so we keep our distance? It does not take long for the individual to realize why people are acting so cold and uncaring. How do you think that person will begin to feel, especially when those who claim to represent Christ hold him or her at an arm’s length? The person will probably feel as though even God has rejected them.
Jesus wanted this leper to realize that, even though people pushed him aside, the heavenly Father loved Him enough to draw close. Jesus was God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14); thereby representing the love of the heavenly Father. We too are called to represent the love of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. If we keep our distance, we could cause those who are sick to view us as hypocrites, questioning our faith, and possibly never arriving at a saving belief and trust in His love and healing touch.
Jesus may have been divine, but He was still in human form and flesh and susceptible to illness like anyone else. He could have chosen to act in fear like any other man, being paranoid of this leper breathing on Him or brushing up against Him; however, Jesus was unafraid. He knew that the heavenly Father could heal this man, and also protect Him from illness or harm. He looked beyond the leper’s sickness to see his heart and spiritual need; and just look at what Jesus did next!
Jesus Even Touched the Sick Person (vv. 41-42)
41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.
Jesus not only allowed the leper to come near and kneel down before Him; we read that He “stretched out His hand and touched him” (v. 41). Jesus was the one who did the reaching; and therefore, Jesus was the one who went the farthest in breaking the rules. He crosses a line that was not meant to be crossed, broke a long-standing taboo, and transgressed a cardinal rule.
The leper had asked Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean” (v. 40). To be clean was to be seen as holy. You have likely heard the expression, “Cleanliness is next to godliness,” right? In the Bible there is a direct relationship between what is clean and what is holy. What is unclean can never be holy, and nothing which is holy is unclean.(9) Based on this information, we understand that the leper was considered unholy and sinful. When Jesus touched him, then He too would have been seen as unclean according to the law. In Leviticus chapter twenty-two, we read,
Whoever touches anything made unclean . . . or any person by whom he would become unclean, whatever his uncleanness may be - the person who has touched any such thing shall be unclean (Leviticus 22:4-6).
Jesus could have been placed into solitary confinement away from human contact for a minimum of seven days for the purpose of observation, had the priests considered it remotely possible for Him to contract leprosy (Leviticus 13:4). If Jesus had actually come down with the disease, then He would have been pronounced unclean, and resigned to the lonely fate of a leper (Leviticus 13:3). Jesus was probably exonerated from religious scrutiny because the leper was actually healed!
Sometimes we act as though we will be seen as guilty by association, or rather be considered unclean for keeping company with those who have a scary illness. How do we view the nurse who works in the local AIDS hospice? Perhaps we wonder if she might have unknowingly contracted HIV, and so we are careful to keep a safe distance from her. How do children treat a fellow classmate whose mother has cancer? They might intentionally fail to befriend him, for fear that cancer is contagious; and he could be pushed aside to become a loner.
So, why did Jesus touch the leper? We read that He was “moved with compassion” (v. 41). The word “compassion” could be translated as, “to be moved as to one’s bowels . . . for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity.”(10) But I’m going to say that Jesus was moved in His heart. Jesus was stirred in His heart toward love, kindness and mercy. Love is a feeling so strong that it can compel a person to lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). True love looks beyond self-preservation to place the needs of others first; and true love comes straight from the heavenly Father (1 John 4:16).
The Pharisees once condemned Jesus because He and His disciples sat down for lunch with Matthew and his tax collector buddies. Tax collectors were viewed as unclean because of their constant contact with the Gentiles; therefore, the Pharisees felt that getting too close would result in contamination and ritual impurity. Tax collectors were kept at a distance, somewhat similar to the lepers; but not with the same level of scrutiny. The comment that Jesus made to the Pharisees, concerning the stigma of the tax collectors, can be applied to those who have a misunderstood or frightening illness. He stated,
Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance (Matthew 9:12-13).
When Jesus stated, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice” (Mt 9:13), He was referring to the Jew who would be certain to adhere to the proper exercise of worship in the temple; but then neglect to honor God daily throughout the week. His statement, based on Hosea 6:6, meant that God wants to see His people showing kindness and mercy toward others before coming to worship Him. Love and compassion must be the driving force of our service and devotion to God; and if we really know the true meaning of unconditional love, then we will be compelled to demonstrate compassion to all people; including the untouchables.
Jesus presented Himself to the leper as healer, the one who is able to alleviate both spiritual and physical sickness. He stated that He came to call sinners to repentance; or those needing “spiritual healing.” Jesus also said He came to heal the sick; or those needing “physical healing” (Matthew 9:13). He healed people by drawing close enough to them to touch their lives, which provides us with an example to follow. If we wish to help the sinners and the sick, then we must make an effort to “draw close” and spend time with them.
The reason why we must “draw close” is because we hold the answer to both spiritual and physical healing, and that answer is Jesus Christ. He is the Great Physician (Luke 4:23) who “took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:17). When Jesus died on the cross He bore on Himself the entire weight of all the sins of the world; taking on Himself the wages of sin, which is illness, disease and death (Psalm 103: 3; Romans 6:23). Isaiah said, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
Time of Reflection
Max Lucado, in his book Just Like Jesus, closed his discussion about the leper, saying that “Jesus touched the untouchables of the world. Will you do the same?”(11) What are you willing to risk in order to share the message of love and forgiveness in Jesus Christ? Some people are willing to be martyred for their faith, and all that Jesus is asking us to do is be willing to care for those who are sick. Yes, it is true that we risk becoming sick ourselves, but death by illness is less likely than being murdered in a hostile country for being a Christian.
The primary message we must not miss is that when we seek to preserve our own life and health, we could be turning our backs on those who are spiritually dying. The question becomes this: What is more important? Preserving our own physical life, or securing another’s eternal life?
This thought leads to another important question to consider. Jesus once asked, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” (Luke 9:25). Perhaps you are presently living for yourself and are not a believer, meaning that you have never before confessed faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. If you are currently living for yourself and your life is founded in this world, then you will fail to secure your place in eternity. However, if you will focus on Jesus Christ and allow Him to touch your heart, then He can and will cleanse your soul and restore you to eternal life.
NOTES
(1) Mother Teresa, “Disease Quotes,” World of Quotes: www.worldofquotes.com/topic/Disease/1/ (Accessed June 27, 2011).
(2) Ibid.
(3) “Leprosy,” PubMed Health: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002323/ (Accessed June 24, 2011).
(4) “Leprosy,” Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprosy (Accessed June 24, 2011).
(5) M. G. Easton, Easton’s Bible Dictionary, on Power Bible CD.
(6) Gregory M. Herek, “American Public Increasingly Blames People With AIDS and Misunderstands How HIV Is Transmitted,” psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/stigma_02_press.html (Accessed June 24, 2011).
(7) Ibid.
(8) Michael A. Zevon, “Are Some People Avoiding Me Since They Learned of My Breast Cancer Diagnosis?” posted September 25, 2007, ABC News Health: abcnews.go.com/Health/OnCallPlusLiving/people-avoiding-learned-breast-cancer-diagnosis/story?id=3648634 (Accessed June 24, 2011).
(9) Bob Deffinbaugh, “The Clean and Unclean - Part 1,” Bible.org: bible.org/seriespage/clean-and-unclean%E2%80%94part-i-leviticus-11 (Accessed June 24, 2011).
(10) “Compassion,” lexicon number G4697, Blue Letter Bible: www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G4697&t=KJV (Accessed June 27, 2011).
(11) Max Lucado, Just Like Jesus (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), p. 34.
