In Christ's time, leprosy was a vicious condition with no known cure. It caused lumps as well as scalelike wounds to grow all over a person's body and could lead to the complete degeneration of the skin and twisting of the bones, ultimately deforming its victims. Fingers, toes, ears, and noses would rot away and fall off, making it difficult for a person to breathe and more likely for them to go blind, as well as making it impossible to do the daily work required to survive.

Those suspected of contracting the disease had to show themselves to the priest, who would evaluate their condition, diagnosing them as clean or unclean. and "unclean" meant you were counted as good as dead and banished form the city to keep the disease from spreading. Lepers were forced to live in tents or caves in designated colonies in the wilderness, wore bells in order to alert people  to their presence and were required to yell, "Unclean! Unclean!" should anyone accidentally come within the legal range.

Having been ripped from their homes, families, friends, and all other comforts in life, the only hope of relief for them was death.

Enter Jesus.

News of the preaching healer had been spreading from town to town--to leper colony. Luke says there was a man "full of leprosy" who approached Jesus, which means (1) he'd had the disease for a while, (2) he'd been living in physical and emotional hell, and (3) somehow there remained in him a modicum of hope enough to violate the law and throw himself at the feet of Jesus.

Perhaps prior to getting sick he'd studied the Torah and knew its prophecies about the coming Messiah, such as Isaiah 61:1 "The LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound" (which Jesus quoted in Luke 4:18-19).

But perhaps his understanding of the prophecies had changed since he'd become a captive in his own body. Healthy Jews were longing for the Messiah to bring relief from the Roman occupation and heavy taxation--they assumed that liberty for captives meant freedom from the Roman Empire. But despite living in conquered land, they still got to go home after work, eat at their own table, and watch their children grow up. But this man, this broken soul now living out his years in isolation, maybe he'd come to understand what the prophecies actually meant--that the Messiah's purpose was much more personal than anyone yet knew.

Whatever his story, something drove him past the law that required him to stay back, past the wall of disbelief that required him to stay back, past the wall of disbelief that he could ever be restored, past the fear that the preacher man would shun him too.

"Lord if you will, you can make me clean," he said (Luke 5:12).

So Jesus "stretched out his hands and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately the leprosy left him" (v.13).

The best part of the story isn't the healing that took place, though the healing was awesome. And it isn't the faith of the man, though he's an example for us to follow. The best part is when Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. Because Jesus could've just spoken the words; instead He moved in and bent low to touch a man who no one had been willing to touch for a very long time. He touched him before he was clean. So while the words of healing restored his body, no doubt Jesus' touch restored his soul.

PRAYER FOCUS

Thank God for making you clean (today's entry is a reminder of why our prayers need to include gratitude, hmm?) and ask Him to give you His heart for the unclean.

MOVING FORWARD

• What part of your soul needs Jesus' healing touch?
• What's holding you back from the kind of bold faith the leper had?
• How can you connect with people in your life who aren't part of the "in" crowd, as Jesus did?