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The Bible is filled with many people who face impossible situations beyond their control. They include Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when faced with the fiery furnace, and Daniel in the lions’ den. They also include an unnamed leper we encounter in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke who faced the hopelessness of his terminal disease.
i believe the omission of his name is purposeful. As a part of the nameless crowd, he could be any one of us, free from any of the preconceived notions that might come with knowing his background.
Allow me to tell his story in the first person as if i were him—because parts of his story may truly be mine … and perhaps you, too, share in his story.
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Leprosy is known as the “living death” among my people. Many believe that lepers are being punished by God for our sins, which makes us feel ashamed. That shame made me get as far away from the city I used to call home as I possibly could.
Those of us with the disease are considered unclean and we are not permitted to come within six feet of another person. As a matter of fact, on a windy day we aren’t permitted to be any closer than one hundred fifty feet. I wanted to put an even greater distance between me and my friends and family because I didn’t want to see their look of pity mixed with fear.
Our disfigurement causes our appearance to be a warning to others to stay away. We are cast out of our homes and our villages to live solitary lives until we die – or until somehow, by the grace of God, we are miraculously healed. I was not holding out for a miracle.
It is a hopeless existence. Since lepers are unable to work, we have no way to provide for our needs. We depend on the generosity of family members or those who show us compassion. As a result, more lepers die of starvation than they do the disease. And leprosy is no respecter of persons or position. It afflicts the affluent and the poor equally.
One of the things lepers like me long for the most is the simple act of physical touch. We are acutely aware that we will never again be able to experience the tenderness or warmth of an embrace or the assurance of a handshake. As the months of my affliction passed, my condition continued to deteriorate. I knew the signs, and I knew my death was imminent.
One morning, I was staring blankly off into the distance. My eyesight had worsened to the point I could no longer distinguish features, just shapes. I saw what appeared to be a Man walking in my direction. As best I could tell He was surrounded by a large group of followers. Those walking with Him were asking Him questions, and He was answering them. He obviously was a teacher of some sort. As they got closer, I heard someone address Him by name—Jesus!
Even there in the middle of nowhere, I had heard of a Man named Jesus. People said He was possibly the promised Messiah, and that He had the power to heal. At that moment, I knew what I had to do. I didn’t think about it. I didn’t hesitate. I just started running toward Him! I don’t know where my strength came from. For weeks now I had barely been able to walk. But suddenly I was running!
Imagine how strange—and frightening—the sight of a leper running toward them must have been to the crowd who was accompanying Jesus. As I think back, I wonder if any of them picked up sticks or stones to throw at me to keep me away.
As I approached Him, I stopped and bowed my head. I am sure everyone was astonished that I dared to come near Him. But I didn’t even see them. I knew there was only One in their midst who could possibly heal me. I could barely speak, but somehow I was able to whisper, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.”(1)
Then Jesus did the unthinkable! He walked right up to me, not keeping the six-foot distance, and He reached out … and touched me! I could not remember the last time anyone had touched me. I heard an audible gasp from the crowd. What had Jesus done? He had now made Himself unclean by touching a leper! Why would He do that? He could have simply spoken, but instead He touched me!
Then Jesus said, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, “I will; be clean.”(2)
You’re not going to believe this, but instantly I knew I had been healed. Strength that had been gone for years entered into my body. My eyesight became clear. My numbness was gone, and feeling had returned. My skin was clear. Every blemish was gone! All within the blink of an eye! When the sun rose that morning, I had thought it was the day I was going to die. But instead, it was the day Jesus gave me new life! I was healed!
Everyone around us stood in silence. I fell to my knees. The strength had returned to my voice and I wanted to thank Him. But the words that came out of my mouth did not carry the weight of the gratitude I wanted to express. As I knelt before Him, Jesus looked down at me and told me not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”(3)
As I rose to my feet, I instinctively reached out and embraced Him. The crowd gasped for a second time – but their gasps turned to silence when Jesus smiled and returned my embrace.
As I stood there with His arms wrapped around me, He said, “After you have seen the priest, go and be restored to your family. They have prayed to the Father on your behalf. Tell them that the Father has heard and answered their prayers. Go and be declared clean, for what I have made clean can never again become unclean!”
Then He let go of me and stood directly in front of me smiling. It had been a long time since anyone had smiled at me. The members of my family had stopped smiling at me long ago. Strangers looked at me with fear. Fellow lepers looked at me with despair. But Jesus smiled at me! So, I basked in His smile, just like I had basked in His embrace.
Soon He turned and continued on His way northward. I turned south and began my journey home. I had left my home downhearted and in despair. I never anticipated I would be able to return. But now, here I was – and I could not wait to get there. My pace was brisk, and my heart was full to overflowing.
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The leper’s words were simple: “Lord, if You will, You can.” Jesus’ response indicates that the man’s faith further communicated, “… but if not, i will still trust You!” The first statement shows he believed Jesus was able; the second demonstrates he had faith that Jesus knew what was best. The first communicates belief; the second, conviction.
Jesus’ half-brother, James, writes that even demons believe.(4) However, faith trusts Him even when He doesn’t answer the way we expect, or prefer. Faith acknowledges He is God and we are not. He knows what’s best, and we don’t. That’s hard to accept when we’re in a desperate situation, but sometimes it takes a desperate situation to bring us to that realization. Sometimes we need to come to the end of ourselves.
Are you in a place like that? Then it’s time to take it from a leper who had come to the end of himself: Lord, if You will, You can … but if not, I will still trust You!
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You can read about the leper in the eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
Portions of this post are taken from the story “Lazarus – the friend” in my collection of short stories, The One Who Stood Before Us. For more information about the book, click here.
(1) Matthew 8:2 (ESV)
(2) Matthew 8:3 (ESV)
(3) Matthew 8:4 (ESV)
(4) James 2:19
Copyright © 2024 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.
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