Healing a Leper - Matt 8:2-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16

I’ve found that even though I’m stressed out with the move and everything, my days go better when I do a blog post, so I’m going to focus on doing this first then hopefully my other stuff will be easier.

Jesus and His disciples leave the seashore and go into “a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” I learned a lot about leprosy reading about it while researching for this topic. When I worked at the LA county hospital I rode the train and the bus every day to get there and to get home. One day I was riding home with someone who also worked at the hospital and she said that she works in the Hansen’s disease department. I was like “what? There’s a leprosy part of the hospital?” And she said that it’s an outpatient program. That was my first encounter with Hansen’s disease. I was under the impression it was contagious to the point that if you came in ANY contact with anyone infected then you would automatically get it and a few months later you would die with your skin and toes and limbs falling off. The scriptures make it sound like it’s an automatic death sentence that anyone could get, like the plague.

Here’s a little background of what leprosy really is, and it’s very interesting. Leprosy is a very slow growing bacteria with 6 different strains. The dormant period is between 2-20 years and is transferred through body fluids, most commonly droplets and snot. Several of the strains of leprosy are able to heal by themselves, which explains why there was a procedure in place for people to reenter society when people who previously were known to have leprosy became healed. Because leprosy is a bacteria it is now treated with antibiotics over a course of anywhere from 2 to 6 months. Leprosy today is very rare and highly treatable and the kicker is that 95% of adults are naturally immune to the bacteria.

The IM gives background on ancient leprosy, “In the Bible ‘leprosy’ refers to a variety of skin ailments, including Hansen’s disease, which is the illness often called leprosy in our day. Leprosy is a chronic disease that attacks skin, nerves, eyes, bones, and limbs. Left untreated, it progressively disabled its victims before subjecting them to a painful death. Lepers in ancient Israel were quarantined, were commanded to call out ‘Unclean!’ to warn anyone approaching them, and were considered to spread their uncleanness to anyone who came in contact with them… Leprosy was considered a living death because it destroyed the physical body as well as the person’s social standing, leaving the victim isolated and alone. By healing this leper, the Savior not only healed his physical body but also restored him to society.” Again, we have to remember ancient civilizations didn’t have skin biopsies with histological pathologists, it makes sense that seeing something on someone’s skin knowing that someone else that you know had their fingers and stuff fall off, then yes you would equate everything with leprosy.

With an ancient, small community it makes sense that someone with a perceived communicable disease would have to announce their presence anywhere they went, that’s how society stayed alive, but imagine how it felt for that person, terrible. This man came to Jesus basically saying, “I know that you can heal me if you choose to.” The only reason Jesus wouldn’t heal him is if he choose not to, the man recognized His power. Jesus saw this man’s condition and Mark tells us he was “moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.” And he was, he was cleansed that very instance, and Jesus “straitly charged him, and forthwith send him away; And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.” There was a procedure in place for people who had a communicable disease and were healed and Jesus told this man to obey the Law of Moses and reintegrate into society, welcome back.

My question is why did Jesus tell the man not to tell anyone?

The IM commented “it is therefore remarkable that Jesus touched this leper while healing him. That act may refer to the laying on of hands, but it also reflects the Savior’s compassion and perhaps also His priority on mercy as one of the ‘weightier matters of the law’ that supersedes ceremonial requirements. After healing the man, the Savior commanded him to obey the Mosaic commandment that healed lepers present themselves to a priest, offer sacrifice, and undergo a purification ritual… President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote a poem likening the Savior’s healing of lepers of the forgiveness that is available through repentance and the Atonement of Jesus Christ:

 

In ancient times the cry ‘Unclean!’

Work warn of lepers near.

‘Unclean! Unclean!’ the words rang out; Then all drew back in fear,

 

Lest by the touch of leper’s hands

They, too, would lepers be.

There was no cure in ancient times,

Just hopeless agony.

 

But there was One, the record shows,

Whose touch could make them pure;

Could ease their awful suffering,

Their rotting flesh restore.

 

The day He made ten lepers whole,

The day He made them clean,

Well symbolized His ministry

And what His life would mean.

 

However great that miracle,

This was not why He came.

He came to rescue every soul

From death, from sin, from shame.

 

What must be done to make us clean

We cannot do alone.

The law, to be a law, requires

A pure one must atone.

 

He taught that justice will be stayed

Till mercy’s claim by heard

If we repent and are baptized

And live by every word.

 

If we could only understand

All we have heard and seen,

We’d know there is no greater gift

Than those two words- ‘Washed clean!’”