He sat in silence as the phrase tore through him like a wrecking ball, tearing him down word by word: “You. Have. Leprosy.” It was a death sentence. But the slow, agonizing decay of his body seemed almost welcome compared to the ostracization and loneliness that would surround him the rest of his miserable life.
As time passed, he settled into his fate. He wore a leper’s clothes, lived outside the city, and separated himself from his family. But most humiliating of all was sounding the clarion, “Unclean! Unclean!” to all passers-by. Then one day he met Jesus.
Mark picks up the event as the leper approaches Jesus:
“And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, ‘If you will, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, ‘I will; be clean’” (Mark 1:40-41).
Each time we read it, we ought to be moved by Jesus’ compassion. We feel the leper’s cares melt into exhausted relief. Gone was the suffering. Gone was the loneliness. Gone was the epithet, “Unclean.” Gone were those itchy, rotting, fetid clothes.
It is shocking to read.
It is shocking to read that Jesus touched him. It evidently stunned Mark too, so much so he included it in the narrative. Mark 5 tells of a woman with an issue of blood touching the hem of Jesus’ clothes and being healed. Matthew records Jesus healing a centurion’s servant from miles away. Certainly, Jesus did not need to touch the leper to heal him, but he did, and this reveals one of the most beautiful portraits of the Savior: his ability to connect with people. The leper needed healing, but he also needed reassurance of his reconnection to the community.
Paul wrote to the church at Rome,
“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Rom 8:29).
Conforming to the image of Jesus means allowing his character to work through us. When a world shrouded in the darkness of sin looks for the light of salvation, it should find it in Christians. This light should not only burn in the words of our message, but in the deeds of our lives (Matt 5:14-16).
Sealed off.
Too often, Christians spend their time and resources at home, work, and worship sealed off from the poor and ragged people in their communities. Discipleship is a life spent in the trenches bandaging the wounded, encouraging the feeble, connecting with the disconnected, and reaching the homeless (1 Thes 5:14). Reflecting the heart of Jesus means letting his beauty show in us. How can we reflect the compassion of Jesus?
We can share his message.
There is no greater gift than salvation. When we teach others the gospel, we offer the greatest opportunity—the opportunity to be saved. Meeting this basic spiritual need surpasses all other forms of compassion.
We can actively seek and help those in need.
The United States enjoys unprecedented wealth. As a result, most Americans do not need help. However, even in a nation as prosperous as the US, some go hungry, sleep without shelter, and wear tattered clothes. Guided by the compassion of Jesus, we must look for these people. It may mean walking a less-traveled street or going to poorer neighborhoods. It demands leaving our comfort zones to help others find theirs. The truly needy rarely knock on the church-house doors.
We can love sinners.
Why do people practicing homosexuality believe they are not welcomed in the church? Why do pornography addicts feel uncomfortable around Christians? Why do people struggling with alcoholism or gluttony avoid religious people? Because they think religious people are self-righteous and do not want them. While this perception is false, enough saints live this way to perpetuate the stereotype. Paul saw this attitude in the church at Corinth, and reminded them,
“Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:9-11).
The church is full of former addicts, homosexuals, adulterers, and drunkards. Like Jesus, we must be friendly to sinners and let them know we want them. We want them to be saved. We want them to be a part of the church.
We can keep our lives pure.
As Jesus walked among the sinners and undesirables, his righteousness served as a beacon. Despite his temptations, he kept himself from sin. Similarly, we must diligently keep sin at bay in our lives. The closer we live to the Son, the more brightly our lights shine. Peter wrote,
“Having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Pet 3:16).
Jesus’ life was filled with mercy and grace, and he left them as examples for us to follow. By showing these qualities to those around us we conform to Christ’s image, and his beauty shines through us.
Preaching Minister