Jesus Touched A Leper

Mark 1:40-45

Leprosy is a life sentence that robbed anyone who contracted it of their relationships and personal joy. It was a disease that put the patient at dis-ease for an unforeseeable amount of time. There was no hope of normalcy for someone who contracted the disease. To put this into a contemporary context, the infected person could no longer could attend their son’s baseball game, go out to eat in a restaurant, or visit loved ones. Instead they had to quarantine themselves and mark themselves as a carrier of this disease. A label. 
 
We all have labels. Some simple, some severe. What labels do you have? What pain has haunted you day in and day out? Be encouraged because God can change any label. Society may have fixed it so you will never be the same again, but let’s face it, you will never be the same. You have a disease. Nothing you encounter should ever leave you the same. Labels change us and augment our perspectives in life. Labels helps us see what is most precious and valuable to us and realign our priories to match our purpose. One historian says, “having Leprosy was no different than being a corpse.” When put that way, this makes Jesus’ encounter with this man who has Leprosy a resurrection encounter.
 
The Touch
A “knee jerk” reaction would be to tense up and retract to detract from being touched. Jesus didn’t recoil, instead He reached. Jesus reached for a man who should not have known what it felt like to be touched during his time of sickness. Jesus is loudest with His voice in verse 41, not when He speaks, but when He touches the leper. What we do with our hands speak volumes about our heart. The gospel writer Mark lets us know why Jesus does it—He felt compassion. Compassion in this context literally means “to move one’s bowels.” In other words, what Jesus saw on the outside, He felt on the inside, deeply. Jesus has a visceral response to the man’s victimization of Leprosy. So, my question to this matter is this: Was the leper touched by Jesus or was Jesus touched by the leper? All touches are not created equal and should not be measured with the same rules. Some touches require the simple sacrifice of a reach, while other touches may require a stretch. The leper stretched and Jesus reached; however, both traveled the same distance to touch. 
 
Contagion
At this point Jesus has taken the risk to infect Himself with the leper’s skin issue. A typical priest, having been put in this same predicament, would have surely contracted the disease. But Jesus is not a typical priest. The leper may have been contagious, but the text proves to us that Jesus was more contagious than the man with Leprosy. When I was a student at Luther Theological Southern Seminary, I experience the traditional way Communion is taken in the Lutheran tradition. Being black and Baptist, which are not mutually exclusive, I was quite anxious about drinking after other people who I did not know. What I did not know was there was another option to participate in the Eucharist, via intinction. Intinction is the practice of dipping the bread into wine. I was relieved. After the service concluded, my I had a chat with my professor, Dr. James Thomas, about my experience and he assured me that I need not worry about contagion from the communion cup. He said, “the only thing you can catch from that cup is the Holy Ghost!” I quickened for a moment and regained my composure. I hope you catch what I am saying here: Child of God, your aliments and diseases are no match for Jesus. A touch from Him won’t only release you of your issues but infect you with the Holy Spirit. 
 
The work after the touch
The leper was given instructions to go show himself to the priest and make offerings for his healing. This shows that Jesus honors the Mosaic Covenant and that work, for the leper, must be done to fulfill the law; A work that Jesus would later do on the cross, but the leper must do now with a priest—sacrifice. Jesus wanted the leper to focus on his efforts to assimilate back into society to gain some semblance of what life he had before and press forward to the new life to come. This is a critical step for those of us that are fortunate to be touched by Jesus. At this point, we have only heard about a leper who breaks the rules. Jesus is sure to let the onlookers, and us as readers, know that even though He has compassion for our situation, He does not wish to see us stay in the wrong. So, if you came the wrong way, you have instructions on how to get right (the Bible). This work in your journey is critical. 
 
This man with Leprosy seems to bring nothing but burdens to Jesus. He first comes to Jesus with Leprosy, burden. He then goes out to tell everyone he finds, after Jesus explicitly told him not to do so, burden. Jesus seems to be getting the short end of this stick here. What Jesus gets for his compassion are burdens. Jesus sets the stage for those of us in ministry by showing us that we will be burdened one way or another, but that doesn’t give us the right to cut our compassion. Have you heard of compassion fatigue? It is an inability to see needs based on their own foundation, but rather through your personal experience. Needs are needs, whether we are tired, scared, or hurt. Jesus shows us that we must see beyond ourselves and care with unfazed compassion. 
 
Trading Places
Mark began this story with Jesus on the inside and the leper on the outside. At the end of the story, Jesus is “outside in lonely places.”[1] This is the crux of this passage. Jesus is willing to trade places with us. He understands what it means to be touch by our infirmities and tempted by or sins. Jesus is willing, and proves it here and at the cross, that He is willing to take our place. Blame is not an issue here, who is at fault is of no consequence. Instead, a touch that is filled with willingness and love is all that matters. I thank God, Jesus touched a leper. 

[1] Edwards, J. R. (2002). The Gospel according to Mark (p. 72). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos.