Loving God, through your Son, Jesus, you revealed your desire to bring the outcasts into your family. You also revealed your power and your desire to heal us. Touch our souls this day by the power of your Spirit, and make us whole; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Many years ago, the prophet Isaiah spoke about some of the things that would happen when the Messiah comes.

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert" (Isa. 35:5-6).

This would be the time of salvation. This would be the time when God would save his people.

Well, lo and behold, all through the gospels we have stories about how Jesus healed people. The blind are able to see (Mk. 8:22-26), the deaf are able to hear, those who couldn't speak are now able to shout their praises (Mk. 7:31-37), and those with diseases like leprosy are made clean (Mk. 1:40-45). We've been reminded all through this season that Epiphany is all about Jesus being revealed to the nations - and revealed to God's people as he fulfills many of the promises about the time of the Messiah - God's anointed one -- the Christ.

Today's gospel, in fact, reveals quite a bit about Jesus. His compassion overrides the religious laws on the one hand, and upholds them on the other hand. Any ordinary person would have been declared unclean simply by touching a person with leprosy, but not Jesus. Instead of the uncleanness being passed on to Jesus, the healing and the cleanness and the divine power are passed on from Jesus to the man who had become a leper. Jesus is unperturbed by the laws that tell people not to touch somebody who is unclean. In fact, he touches them quite regularly as he heals people with leprosy, the woman with a flow of blood (Lk. 8:43-48), and touches people who have died in order to raise them from the dead (Lk. 7:11-16;8:49-55). Yet, little do we understand how much this would have meant to the man who had been declared a leper.

Imagine, for just a moment that you are in his place. Imagine, for just a moment, that it is before the time when you became a leper. It might have gone something like this: You would have gradually started to notice symptoms and would have hoped that you would improve soon. However, instead of getting better, your symptoms get worse. Finally, you know the inevitable has to be done. You will have to travel to Jerusalem to let one of the priests examine you. The journey takes several days, but finally you make it to Jerusalem and are shown into an empty room where you wait for the priest to appear. When the priest enters the room, you pull up your sleeve to reveal an open sore on your arm. You pull your clothes away from your neck to reveal that there is a sore there as well. You show him your foot, which is also full of sores.

The priest gets a bit of a wild look in his eyes and steps back from you. He tells you that you are unclean - you are a leper. You must not touch other people any more, and when you go out into the street, you must cover your mouth with your hand and shout, "Unclean! Unclean!" And then the priest turns around and quickly leaves the room. Having been left all alone, you immediately tear your favourite robe - the one that your wife made for you. You wrap some of the material around your sores, and you cover yourself with dust. Your appearance now communicates your sorrow to everybody and lets them know that they should stay away.

As you enter the city streets to start your journey back to your wife and children, you are blinded by the bright sunlight and slowly cover your mouth. "Unclean," you shout. "I'm unclean." You watch as mothers usher their children away from you and tell them not to go near you or to touch you. Then you embark upon the long journey home, your heart breaking because you know that you will not be able to embrace or to touch your wife or your children.

As you get close to your village, your wife and children see you coming and run out, excited to see you. However, your wife's face falls when she sees you, and she dreads what you are going to say. Although your children run towards you, you yell out at them: "Stop! I am unclean. You dare not touch me." Your wife holds the children close and tries to explain to them what has happened. They don't understand why they cannot go near their father. With a heavy heart you inform your wife that she no longer has a husband, and your children that they no longer have a father. Then, you turn and slowly walk away.

A memorial service would have been held for you in your village. Your wife would have been told that she is free to remarry, but she won't. Meanwhile, you are isolated, and outcast, and sick, and unclean. You cannot worship with other people or associate with other people. Your only companions are those who are also unclean. And you are haunted by memories of the family that you have lost and how you used to be a respected and contributing member of your community. It is no wonder that you would seek out Jesus and beg him to make you clean again. And Jesus, filled with compassion, reaches out and touches you - the first person to do so in a very long time - and you are healed, and made clean. [Note: this account of the leper's life is loosely based on a sermon by John Mayes at www.sermoncentral.com ]

Imagine your joy at the thought of a reunion with your family! Imagine your gratitude to Jesus for this wonderful gift of new life! Imagine how absolutely impossible it would be to do what Jesus says and not tell anybody about this marvelous thing that has happened to you! Of course, Jesus, knowing how the man's mind must have been just swimming with too many thoughts, directs him to go to the priest. He must have a priest examine him. He must offer the appropriate sacrifices for his cleansing. He must be declared clean according to the Jewish law, or nobody will accept him as anything other than a leper. Then he can go and be reunited with his family.

Isn't this what much of Jesus' ministry is all about? He touches the outcasts, the sick, the handicapped, the blind and the lame, the prostitutes, the Samaritans and the tax collectors and brings them into the community of God's people. He touches those who are shunned by all and says to them, "I do choose. Be made clean!" (Mk. 1:41). He embodies the words of the prophet that say: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" (Mt. 9:13; cf. Hos. 6:6). He shows to us God's desire and God's power to heal and to make whole.

Are we not then also invited to seek Jesus with all our heart and soul - to seek to be touched by him, that we, too, might be cleansed and made whole? And then, having been cleansed and brought into the community of believers, is it not our calling to open the way for others also to be touched by Jesus? It is not our job to keep people out of God's family. Rather, we are called to do everything in our power to bring others near, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, all might hear and believe the good news.

At the time, there were some good reasons for Jesus to tell people to keep things quiet about what he had done for them. However, this is not so now. We are called, not to keep it quiet, but to share what God has done for us. May the Holy Spirit continue to draw us near to Jesus, to touch our heart and soul, and to empower us to share the love and mercy of Christ with others. Amen.

Epiphany 6(B) Mark 1:40-45
February 12, 2006
St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore
? 2005 Lynne Hutchison Moore All Rights Reserved