This is an amazing story that shows Christ’s true compassion. The lepers were the social outcasts of the day. They were infected with a skin disease and were forced to live outside their cities and away from their families. Since they were contagious, they were so feared that they had to shout out ‘unclean, unclean’ every time someone would approach them. So what does Jesus do? Not only does he heal the person, but before he ever heals the person, Jesus touches him.
This is a powerful example for us to follow. There is no question that we have been given much power through the Holy Spirit. However, our power is useless if it is not guided by God’s love and compassion. In our quest to heal and redeem this world, we must never forget that this world doesn’t only need healing. It also needs to be touched by the love of Christ.
But the story doesn’t end there. Jesus clearly told the man not to tell anyone. However, that didn’t work. Instead, the man went out and told everyone what Jesus had done for him. As a result, the people so flooded Jesus with their requests and demands that he in essence took the role of the leper—being forced to stay outside of town in lonely places. In many ways, this foreshadows what is about to take place at the cross. By taking our sin upon himself, Jesus faces judgment so that we can be set free. It also models for us that as we bring Christ to people, we may also find that it costs us in some way as well. What are you willing to sacrifice to bring healing into this world?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment