The leper was a person who was already dead though still alive. He had to wear a black garment that all might recognize, and he had to live in a leper house.
He could not come into a church service, but while the service was going on he could peer through the leper “squint” cut into the walls.
Thus, the leper not only had to bear the physical pain of his condition but also the psychological pain, as one who according to the law was banished from society and was to be completely shunned.
Unfortunately, leprosy in the time of Jesus, included other skin conditions such as psoriasis and ring worm.
If a Leper was cured, real leprosy was incurable, the person would have to undergo a complicated ceremony of restoration. It involved killing birds, sacrificing lambs, etc.
The story today reveals several important things about Jesus:
He did not drive the man away who had broken the law. The leper had no right to speak to Jesus, yet Jesus responded to the desperation of the man with compassion.
Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. He touched the man who was unclean, but not to Jesus. Jesus saw the man as a person in desperate need.
Finally, having cleansed the man, Jesus sent him to fulfill the prescribed ritual. Jesus did not defy the laws of the time but, when necessary, submitted to them.
In the curing of the leper, we see the compassion and power of Jesus.
Image: “File: The Chosen – Jesus touches the leper.jpg” by The Chosen press photos (press.thechosen.tv) is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.