City Life Starter

Written by Megan Meier

The Word

“12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, ‘Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.’ 13 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I will; be clean.’ And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to tell no one, but ‘go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.’ 15 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.”

Luke 5:12-16 ESV

Reflection

In the Biblical times, leprosy was described as a flesh-eating disease, a living death (Numbers 12:12, Job 18:13). Several times in the Old Testament, those who sinned against God were punished with infirmities. Miriam was struck with leprosy for going against Moses and isolated until declared clean (Numbers 12), and King Uzziah became arrogant and unfaithful to God, and he succumbed to leprosy and was not allowed to be buried with his ancestors (2 Chronicles 26:16-23). These stories emphasized the belief that illnesses and handicaps in general were caused as punishment for sin, and leprosy was considered the worst form of impurity.

Before multidrug antibiotic therapy (today leprosy, now called Hansen’s Disease, is curable), seeing a person with this condition induced extreme fear and horror. The man is described as being full of leprosy, covered all over with sores, and unless he wore a long robe with a hood, there was no hiding it. He would have experienced extreme pain walking or moving in general. If this wasn’t enough, he knew he would face cruel ostracism and with people frantically shutting their windows, running away and screaming “Leper!” And if his presence was acknowledged, it would only result in being spat in the face on for being a “sinner.” He approached Jesus in a very public place and showed Him his affliction right in front of everyone, facedown, and begging.  

Why didn’t Jesus go outside the city to heal him? Surely He knew the man’s affliction. Maybe He wanted to see how desperately the man with leprosy wanted to be healed, to see what he truly valued: his pride or his chance at healing. The man with leprosy was willingly exposing himself to further disgrace and even a reprimand from the Teacher, for the chance at being healed. He knew Jesus was capable of healing him, but only if it’s in His Will to do so.

After Jesus had healed him, he was instructed to follow the rule of cleansing and offering from defiling skin diseases (Leviticus 14:1-32). The passage doesn’t say if the leper spilled the beans, or if the priest whom he showed himself to forced the truth out of him, or if someone saw the whole thing and spread the word that Jesus had completely healed a man covered in leprosy. What we do know is the result, which is that everybody wanted to see Him. Although there were many people in need of healing, Jesus set boundaries. This wasn’t about having “me” time, Jesus needed time with His Father.

Application

Vulnerability is essential to healing. It doesn’t mean you won’t be hurt on the way, it might be outright painful. As Brené Brown says in Braving the Wilderness, vulnerability is an act of courage. If you are willing to be vulnerable to the Lord, and even humble, He is willing to help but only if what you ask is His Will. 

God has called us to help others, but it is not possible to help everyone. Don’t feel guilty about setting boundaries. If you need help with this matter, I recommend Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. Those in need will always be with us, but we need to value our relationship with Jesus more (Mark 14:7).

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to find those who are safe to be vulnerable with, and grant me the courage and humility to be vulnerable. Also help me see what boundaries need to be set in my life, so my relationship with You is the first priority. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.