The Cleansed Leper – His Touch Saved my Life

[Journey with Jesus – Day 7]

I will never forget the day I woke up and saw the change in my skin. Actually, it was my wife, Miriam, who saw them first – I was bathing myself and she came in from outside. I heard her gasp, and felt sick when I turned and saw the look of horror on her face. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“It’s your back – there are patches of skin on it – they’re lighter than the rest.”

“What? No – it can’t be.”. There was only one thing that could mean. Leprosy. And that was a death sentence – or at least it might as well be.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” she said, “It’ll probably go away.” But we both knew.

I covered up and went on my usual business that day, only trying to avoid people if I possibly could, but then next morning, it had spread further. I could only hide it for so much longer. And it got worse too – there were patches of skin on my that I couldn’t sense being touched.

There was no hiding it. I had leprosy. My wife and I wept, for we knew the rules. I would have to leave our community and keep a distance from my friends, family – everyone. I was an outcast.

It all happened so swiftly. I went to the priest, who examined my skin. As he was doing so, he was shaking his head. Once he finished, he declared, “You are smitten with the plague of leprosy. You are unclean.”. And that was that. I was hastily escorted out of the village, and I had no hope of ever returning.

To my wife and children I may as well have been dead. It was worse, really. If I had been dead, then they could have moved on with life. My wife could have remarried, my children could have had a father. Instead, they would be tarnished by association – their father was the leprous one. I survived by living in a cave, off supplies brought me by my wife, which she would drop off and talk to me from a distance. My children never came. It would be too painful. Every day I went to bed hoping not to wake up again.

Months and years passed, the same awful routine. But then, one day, as my wife dropped off day’s provisions, her expression was different – agitated, excited. “Are you ok?” I asked, “What’s going on?”.

“There’s a man. His name is Jesus.” When I looked blankly at her, she said. “News is spreading all over the area.”

“What news?” I was getting impatient now.”

“About what he can do. He’s going all over Galilee, preaching, teaching about God.”

“So what? What’s so special about that?”

“It’s not just teaching,” she continued, “It’s healing too. He’s healing every disease and sickness and driving out demons. People who have all sorts of diseases, those who can’t walk, those who have epilepsy … whatever they have wrong with them, he’s able to heal them.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I didn’t believe it at first, but then I went and saw it myself. It’s true, Jacob. It’s really true.”

“But – you think … you think he could … ?”

“You need to go and find him. If anyone could help, then he could. He’s in Chorazin, not far from here.”

So, I went without thinking. I knew I was breaking the rules by going into a town, but I didn’t care. What did I have to lose? This was my only hope. It wasn’t hard to find him. I’d never seen the man before, but knew it was him. I fell facedown on my knees, and sobbed, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” I was absolutely certain of this fact.

The next thing I felt were hands on my shoulders, lifting me up from the ground. “I am willing,” he said as he pulled me into an embrace. The first time I had been touched in far too long. I saw the tears in his eyes, and he said the words that I would remember for the rest of my life. “Be clean.” Instantly I felt warmth spreading throughout my whole body. Something was happening that I didn’t fully understand at that moment.

But then, I heard a familiar, beloved voice behind me.

“Jacob!” my wife gasped behind me. I turned to see the look of surprise and wonder on her face. She hugged me, squeezing me so hard I could barely breathe, as she sobbed, “You’re clean, you’re clean.”

And then we remembered ourselves. We turned towards the man who was standing just a couple of metres away. “Thank you, so much,” I stammered, “I don’t know what to say.”

“Thank you is good enough,” he replied, “I know you’re delighted and probably want to tell everyone that’s happened. But you mustn’t forget, you need to follow the law of Moses – show to yourself to the priest, then offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing. Then you can be fully restored to the community.”

“I will, I will, thank you so much,” I replied. Mimi and I left hand in hand together. I really intended to do what Jesus said, but how could I keep it in – whenever we passed people, we had to tell them what Jesus had done for us. I had been given my life back. I wanted everyone to know about it. I was unclean no longer. I was cleansed, healed, restored, thanks to his compassion and love. His touch saved my life.