Bible in general (Archive 1)

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Bible Question (short): What if a leper begs?

Question (full): Any comments on this devotional reading from Forward Day By Day? MONDAY, July16

Mark 1:29-45. A leper came to him begging him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.”

He was supposed to stay in the shadows. He was supposed to be resigned to his situation, accepting whatever the locals chose to give. He was supposed to keep his ravaged face and hands hidden beneath the rags that were left of his clothing. But he planted himself smack in front of this man who was said to heal the sick and cast out demons. He made sure that this Jesus could see him, and Jesus saw beneath the rags and the sores through to the person beneath. A person who had not known a human touch for years was touched by Jesus, and made clean.

Most of us long for someone who will look beneath the surface. To see beneath the façade we've wrapped around ourselves and the labels others stick on us: hippie, geek, redneck, loser, winner, jock, leper, other. It can be hard to lose the labels and even harder to drop the façades, those masks that hide our true selves and protect us. There is one who sees beneath, Jesus Christ. He won't intrude where he is not invited. But if we plant ourselves before him in prayer and worship, he will touch us, and we will be made whole.
Ps 25; 1 Samuel 18:5-16; 27b-30; Acts 11:19-30