“And behold, a leper came to Him and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him.” (Matthew 8:2-3)
Leprosy could be highly contagious. Therefore, people with this disease had to isolate themselves from the community. It wasn’t a question for this man whether Jesus could heal him. His question was ‘Do you want to heal me,’ The man’s desire was also Jesus’ desire, that is :people’s wholeness and healing. Not every desire of ours is always immediately fulfilled by Jesus. Perhaps you too have experienced healing through Jesus, or maybe you are struggling with the question, “Why is one person healed, and another (here on earth) not yet? Is Jesus’ desire different for one person than for another? Questions we don’t always get answers to. Fortunately, our relationship with Jesus is not dependent on our strength or health, nor is our life meaningless when we are sick. The life of the healed man will not have remained perfect after his healing. The power of Jesus was made visible in his healing. And so Jesus wants His power to be visible in our lives, whether we are sick or well. There is always His love touching, carrying and holding us in our circumstances.
What is it that you marvel at in Matthew 8:1-5?
When do you feel excluded? What can you ask Jesus in a situation like this?