"Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Matthew 8:2
It was a leper who asked for healing from Jesus. During Jesus' time, lepers were shunned as outcasts and cast out to live in the fringes. They walked among the dead even while still alive. Leprosy is infectious from continuous contact of the skin and droplets from the nose and mouth of the sick person. It is a disease not only of the skin but also of the nervous system. A leper cannot feel pain and that is why he can easily hurt himself. He can pick up a pan of boiling water with his bare hands. He can be bitten by a wild dog and not feel pain.
Leprosy can be compared to sin. If we always hang out with people who curse, lie, take drugs, and do bad things, we will eventually think it is all right to do the same. Our soul gets disfigured and damaged, and our conscience dulled. We will not be able to recognize that there is something wrong and we need saving. Like the insidious leprosy, sin starts small and spreads leading to other sins, if we are not careful.
Thank You for the gift of pain that keeps us from physical harm. We especially are grateful for the pain we feel when we are separated from You. We need You to save us from the consequences of our sin, Lord!
