The Leprosy of Sin (Friday, Week 12, Year II)

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Anyone can be sick anytime; but there are sicknesses that are more horrible than the rest: In this context, I use the adjective "horrible" not in the sense that those sicknesses are terminal or more serious but in the sense of the social stigma or discrimination that is associated with them. In our time, there are a few of them which we know very well but in the ancient Jewish times, leprosy was one. In fact, any virulent skin disease was diagnosed as leprosy. And once someone is declared leprous, he becomes unclean, is quarantined and cut off from others. That's the worst state any Jewish person could find himself or herself.

Probably, this explains the reason why the leper, in the Gospel reading (Matthew 8:1-4), ignored the social/physical distancing protocol meant to be observed by lepers, and hurriedly went to Jesus that he may cure him and make him clean again.

We hardly see lepers in our time. Probably, they are hidden away for treatment. In fact, modern science must have come up with very effective treatment procedures for leprosy and other virulent skin diseases, and it seems such diseases are not as serious as they were regarded before.

The worst leprosy that we must be much more worried about is the leprosy of the soul, that is, SIN. From the passages of the Second Book of Kings which we have read of recent, we see how the mighty nation of Israel (a nation that saw itself as God's chosen people) has consistently been taken for a ride by other kingdoms because of sin. The passages were emphatic that some of their kings and the people did what was displeasing to the Lord, and this came with huge consequences for the nation. They were carried away into exile, and those kings were treated dishonorable. Sin comes with a heavy toll on us. 

Whether we like it or not, our reprehensible lifestyles today must attract dire consequences tomorrow. For every action, there must be a reaction which comes as a consequence. The consequences of sin are as follows: it taints our soul, makes us unclean, exiles us away from God, takes away our honor and turns us into an object of mockery and derision. But the good news is that we can still make that passionate appeal to Jesus just as the leper did: "LORD, IF YOU WANT TO, YOU CAN MAKE US CLEAN."

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