Scripture: Mark 1:40-41
A leper came to Jesus begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!”
Thought for the Day: There are few words as beautiful or hope-filled as those we find in this passage from Mark’s Gospel…specifically the words: “Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him…” From our vantage point, I don’t think we initially appreciate just how unnerving those words would have been to people living in the first century. Leprosy was a serious disease, but the misconceptions and misinformation around the disease created an intense but unnecessary fear. This fear led to the development of a social system that not only perpetuated the fear, but put into motion very specific rules that governed what was and was not acceptable for those with leprosy. To hear that Jesus approached this man who was regarded as unclean would have been scandalous, but then to hear that Jesus actually touched him would have been outright criminal…unless you were the leper. And for the one with leprosy and all those throughout history who have been declared unclean – in one fashion or another – these few words would have been among some of the most beautiful and hope-filled.
Prayer: For your grace, O Mighty God, I give you thanks. Allow its blessings to spill over all of us, especially in those moments when the world has made us feel unclean and unworthy. Amen.
Continuing This Wednesday
