The Healing Compassion of Jesus

This Gospel narrative shows the leper’s posture of submission to the will of God over his circumstances. It gives us an example of how we are to come before God. The leper recognized the authority and the power of Jesus Christ – and in faith, asked Jesus to make him clean. Dear friends, do we adopt the same posture that this leper – one whom our hearts would be quick to ostracize and judge – adopts? We have much to learn.

Three details are immediately noticeable (Mark 1:41) from Jesus’ response – (i) First, Jesus was moved with pity; (ii) Second, he stretched out His hand to touch the leper; and (iii) Third, He cleanses the man by the power of His word.

 In the book of  Lev. 13 – remember that lepers were not supposed to come into contact with anyone. Anybody who came into contact with a leper became ceremonially unclean. Even Jewish rabbis, who were supposed to teach and model godly behavior for the people, have been known to despise and shun anything to do with a leper’s presence. If you think about it, the only way you can touch someone or something unclean and not become unclean yourself is if you make the other person or thing clean. You can’t both stay the same. The people at the time knew this. There were only two logical outcomes for a person who had the audacity or the misfortune to touch an unclean leper – they either became unclean, or it must have been God Himself.

Only God Himself, pure and holy, could choose to touch this leper in order to demonstrate His power and His divinity. And notice that His power was demonstrated by his compassionate words. “Be clean”. Therefore, when Jesus reaches out to touch this leper, He cleanses the leprous man instead of becoming defiled by him. With one touch He reveals His identity, and implicitly reveals Himself as the fulfilment of the Law. This should be apparent to the priests in the temple!

In Lev 14, there are certain prescribed ways for lepers to re-enter the community. On the rare occasion that they recover, they had to approach a priest for re-examination and perform a whole bunch of other rites as part of their purification and re-entrance into the community. The priest also has to affirm the leper’s recovery. This was clearly set out in the Law.

Beyond that, friends, the wonderful truth about this encounter with the leper is that this Jesus of Nazareth, this King – is a King who, because of his compassion, exchanges places with the outcast, with the untouchable, and with the sinner. And on that wretched cross, he would take the place of sinners. He would take your place and mine. This is a King who did not just come to rule over us, but rather takes our place and offers us reconciliation and restoration into His kingdom.

What’s true is that the good news of His kingdom is open to all who would come humbly before Him and say “Lord, if you will, make me clean”. To all who would heed his message to a change of heart, to repent, and believe; no one is too unclean or too unworthy to come before this Lord of Lords. Not the unclean leper cut off from his people, not the condemned criminal on the cross, not the lady at the well who had 5 ex-husbands, and certainly not you.

There is no sin too shameful that we cannot lay at His feet in repentance. “Come let’s dialogue together” is his invitation. Every time we sin against God and try to hide it, be it sins of lust or pride or idolatry or covetousness, we are effectively crying out ‘unclean, unclean’. One of the devil’s greatest lies is to whisper in our ear that we are unworthy, making us unwilling to come before our King and to seek His pardon. But this leper had the courage, the humility, and the faith to say “If you will, make me clean”. And Jesus said, “I WILL, BE CLEAN”.

[Readings: Heb 3:7-14; Mk 1:4045]

Fr. Nnaemeka Paschal Ajuka

Fr. Nnaemeka Paschal Ajuka, PhD., BCC., ACPE Certified Educator Candidate, is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia, Nigeria, and a Board-Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) and National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC). He is a retreat preacher who loves his faith. As a sociologist, he cherishes and operates from the vertical and horizontal relationships with God and neighbor. He takes Saint Francis of Assisi’s prayer for peace “Lord make me an Instrument of Peace,” as his ministry mission statement. He is a care provider who meets human needs without discrimination. He has been actively involved in the pastoral ministry in parishes in Nigeria and in the US. Previously, he was an adjunct lecturer at Seat of Wisdom Major Seminary Umuahia and the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Nigeria. Currently, he is a Certified Educator Candidate with the Department of Chaplaincy Services and Education, University of California Health, Davis, Sacramento.

1 Comments

  1. Jerry DEMELO Jr on January 15, 2021 at 1:14 am

    Very Nice. Thank You

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