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Once, when he was in one of the cities, there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” 13Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do choose. Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him. 14And he ordered him to tell no one. “Go,” he said, “and show yourself to the priest, and, as Moses commanded, make an offering for your cleansing, for a testimony to them.” –– Luke 5:12-14
I’ve always struggled with the healing stories in the Gospels, because they can make it appear as though healing is as simple as a quick supplication and an immediate response –– Immediately the leprosy left him. While I would never question that possibility, my experience of walking alongside those struggling with chronic and life-altering illness has been marked more by the strength their faith gave them to endure the uncertainty, pain, or trauma, and the peace their faith gave them to face all eventual outcomes with grace and a broader and deeper understanding of hope. If we believe that Jesus is risen, we are acknowledging that even death is a form of healing. When my father died after seven brutal years of living with Lewy body dementia, death was not the enemy, but was the pathway to peace and wholeness. Our grief was supplanted by thanksgiving, trusting the words of the old hymn –– The strife is o'er, the battle done; the victory of life is won; the song of triumph has begun. Alleluia! In the end, death was a profound experience of healing for both my father and our family.
More often than not, in living with a community of faith, I have found healing to be a process as opposed to an event. That said, in the encounter between Jesus and the leper here in Luke, I am struck by two things.
First, the leper acknowledges the authority of the Lord over all of life –– “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” That is a bold conviction, given that the leper has been excommunicated, isolated, and neglected by the authorities charged with the care of God’s people. The leper is unclean in the eyes of the religious authorities, and thus, not allowed to participate in worship or community. Yet, the leper sees in Jesus the power of restoration and inclusion. “You can make me clean” is therefore a prayer primarily for restoration to community. Fundamentally, the leper is affirming Jesus’ mission of reconciliation.
Second, Luke here reveals something of the character of Jesus. “I do choose” –– What is it that Jesus chooses? Jesus chooses to remove the barrier between the leper and the community. I wonder if Jesus sighed deeply as he gave the leper instructions about going to the priest and tolerating the protocols of religious bureaucracy. The Gospels clearly reveal that Jesus wasn’t much of a fan of bureaucracy. Yet, he will abide the rules and help the leper fill out the forms if it means that reconciliation can commence. Jesus just wants the leper to know that Jesus chooses him and Jesus chooses community. Luke in the same way, wants the reader to know that Jesus chooses the vulnerable and Jesus chooses hospitality. Reconciliation and community provide the most powerful form of healing. You are welcomed, and you are called to the ministry of welcome, not just in the church but everywhere.
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