Cleansed

“As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.”Luke‬ ‭17‬:‭11‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In Nepal leprosy is still  active. I remember a woman who had lost most her if her fingers to the disease. She was the first person I had met who had suffered leprosy. The reality of what she has suffered came home to me.

These men were all cast out of their communities and homes. They lived by begging and eating scraps of food that they found. They stood a far off from Jesus as they were not permitted to be close to unaffected people. They knew Him and called out asking for mercy. He did not say, ‘be healed’, all he said was ‘go and show yourselves to the priest’. The priest was the one to declare them clean and thus allow them back into community. Scripture tell us as they went they became clean. One man, a Samaratin, returned and bowed at Jesus’ feet thanking Him. Jesus was amazed that the Samaratin, not the Jews, returned.

What a gift the Lord gave these men, a renewed chance to see their families and live again among whole people. What gratitude the Samaratin would have known.

Today, a disease greater than leprosy infects humankind, blindness to our sin and separation from our God. May our eyes be open, and may we call out to Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, 

 Just  as these men did. Amen!