Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Reading: Mark 1:40-45
Reflection: What struck me in reading this passage this morning was the very fact that the leper approached Jesus to begin with. After all, according to the book of Leviticus, lepers were to be "isolated" from the rest of society and placed into "leper camps." These camps removed what were called "unclean and infected" people from the rest of society. To ensure that this isolation was maintained when lepers were in public, the leper was suppose to wear torn clothes, let their hair remain unkempt, cover the lower parts of their face and cry out "Unclean," "Unclean." And yet, this leper openly comes to Jesus and asks for help. Now, this could mean that the man was desperate and full of unusual faith and courage...which is certainly true. However, it may also suggest that Jesus, unlike the religious leaders, was approachable; that Jesus lived and loved in such a way that even the isolated and dirty lepers felt they could approach him. If this is true, what a challenge it is to me. If I am to embody Jesus to the world, I too must be approachable. I must live and love in such a way that those on the margins feel they can approach me and ask for help. So, the question I am asking myself this morning is, "Am I as approachable as the Savior?"
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