Do your eyes glaze over when you
hear this story of leprosy and healing? Perhaps you think to yourself, Here we go again: another quaint biblical
story, telling tales of long ago. At first reading, some Bible stories seem
so far removed from our daily lives. We might be tempted to wonder, what could
this possibly have to do with me? Have I met anyone with leprosy? Have I even
heard of anyone with leprosy? Do I worry about leprosy on a day-to-day basis? For
that matter, have I even seen leprosy outside of movies with truly grotesque
depictions of people suffering from this flesh-eating disease? Granted, it
makes for dramatic special effects, showing characters with deformed fingers
and maybe some missing ears or the nose, but really — what does this have to do
with us, today, in the 21st century?
So glad you asked. Because if we
listen to this story again and really tune in to the emotions behind the words,
we will find ourselves there, in the midst of it all. If we listen to the leper’s
heartfelt request, we might even be able to imagine ourselves standing on that
dusty first-century road alongside him, echoing his entreaty, pleading with
Jesus and praying for help.
The feelings behind the words
Let’s not be in a hurry to toss this
story of healing and compassion aside. First, let’s try to picture the scene
again, and this time, let’s listen for the feelings: What is being expressed
behind the words?
The story begins with a leper. You
may not know any lepers, but certainly you do know people who are sad or sick.
You know someone who feels lonely or excluded. Whether you know a child who is
bullied at school and sits alone at the cafeteria table, a co-worker people
avoid or a teenager who just doesn’t feel like he or she fits in, you know the
outsider. Maybe you have even experienced this yourself. We might not call
ourselves lepers — that is, we may not have that particular disease — but if
you know what it is like to be alone and lonely, or to feel unwelcome at home
or school or church or work, then you might understand what this person is
feeling.
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