“I was Diseased and Untouchable Before Jesus Changed Everything!’’
from Matthew 8:1-4
Imagine not having a single friend in the whole world. Imagine if, every time you ever went anywhere, any time you ever saw anyone, they tried their very best to avoid you.
You see, many years ago, your life changed forever. One morning, you woke up to your day, got out of bed, started getting dressed, and, looking down, you noticed you couldn’t quite feel the feeling of your hands. And, with that, you noticed some strange-looking marks and markings on your skin – that wasn’t there a week ago! – and yet you didn’t give it another thought till that afternoon. That was because, while you were walking down through the marketplace that afternoon, someone suddenly shouted:
“Leper! Leper! Get away, leper!”
You looked all around to see which person had leprosy – who was the one whose life would be ruined – and then you realized…
…it was you.
The crowd in the busy market was all looking at you. Yours was the life that, now, was forever ruined…
You see, everyone in your town and in this countryside believed that this disease called leprosy could only be passed along by being near it. They thought that if they ever touched a person with your condition, they would also become a “leper,” a person with leprosy. So, ever since that afternoon in the market, you have lived your life at the edge of people, far away from your former friends. You live in a tiny shack on the ridge of a hill. You only get your food by people leaving it, down below. You get your water by walking down the valley to a brook. No one ever comes to see you anymore…
And, as if all that loneliness and sadness and solitude weren’t bad enough, your disease has only gotten worse. What had started with that little patch of redness on your hand has slowly crept across the entirety of your body. Sometimes, when you lean to get a drink of water at the brook, you catch a glimpse of your reflection in the water, there. You don’t even look like yourself anymore. Your face looks almost scary with the disease’s spread. Blotches, splotches, growths; your skin tight and reddened: sometimes all you want to do is sit down and cry.
That is, until…today.
Today, sitting on the doorstep of your house, you started noticing crowds of people walking up the hillside, two hills over.
They were walking in great big groups – first, dozens; then, hundreds; eventually, thousands of people, all climbing up the grassy hillside. Then they disappeared behind the edge of the nearer hill and you imagined they had stopped in a particular grassy, flowery meadow. You have often walked, alone, through that meadow and so you decide to sneak a bit closer; to see where all the crowds are going…
A few minutes later, you are lying at the edge of that meadow, and you are listening to the most wonderful words, while hiding in the tall grass. To the end of your days, you will never forget those words:
“So, don’t you worry and don’t – PLEASE don’t! – keep on saying, ‘What shall we eat, what shall we drink, what shall we wear?’
For that is what the unbelievers are always looking for; your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all, doesn’t He?
But set your whole entire heart upon the kingdom and His goodness, and all these things will just be given to you.”
The Speaker of these words is sitting high up on the hillside, on a rock, with the glowing sun upon His face. Through the grass, you are watching Him as He speaks and, suddenly, something in your heart says, “He will help you. This is the Man who will set you free.”
But you also know that walking into that crowd, mixing with people, seeing the villagers, is a thing that can never be forgiven by them. You still remember how it felt when that first person shouted, “Leper! Leper!” and you’re terrified of living through that embarrassment again…
Yet, again, you watch the Man at the head of the meadow; how He speaks these words of life so lovingly, so true-heartedly. And now you’re standing to your feet and you are walking down the edge of the hill – into the meadow – as you watch that Man descending. You can see how people jump away, run away, from the moment they first see you… but you simply don’t care anymore. You must get near to that Teacher, right now. That is the only thought running through your head.
And finally …here He is…
…He’s just a few feet off, now. You sink down on your knees, kneeling amidst the flowers and the grass, and you hold your hands out unto Him: “Lord,” you say, “if you are willing to, I believe you can make me clean.”
The Man stops walking; stands still. The whole crowd quiets down to a hush. The Man’s head turns a little to one side –
He is watching you, observing you – and then He takes a step closer.
He is reaching out to touch you with His hand!
You haven’t felt a single touch in many years; you are almost afraid as He leans closer, closer, closer. Yet here He comes, reaching down, reaching out, and, suddenly, you feel the most amazing feeling you’ve ever felt. The Teacher has taken ahold of your arm and a glorious feeling of warmth – almost like a shock – is bridging away from His hand. You feel that warmth as it spreads out, spreading up, all throughout your body, and then He says to you:
“Of course I want to! Be clean!”
And it’s when you hear the gasping of the crowd that you suddenly realize you’ve been closing your eyes – you open them –
you can’t believe what your eyes see…
A hand that looks just like it did before. An arm that’s smooth, like a baby’s skin.
You run your fingers over your face and you can tell that it’s just like it used to be, back before this all started…
For a moment, you are trying to figure out what one should say to such a Healer who has forever set them free from a life like death.
But He speaks to you before you even have a chance to thank Him:
“Follow Me,” He says, and smiles.
Let’s Talk About It
Can you think of anyone who other kids tease or don’t want to play with? Have you ever experienced being left out or avoided? What was that like?
What are some of the ways Jesus communicated His love for the leper in the story?
