THINK TOGETHER.
Have you ever felt left out of things?
READ TOGETHER.
Matthew 8:1-3. 1When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
You’ve probably never met someone with leprosy. Leprosy was a very dangerous and contagious skin disease that people would sometimes get in Jesus day. But instead of feeling sorry for people with leprosy and trying to make them better, lepers were kicked out of the village, sent to live in the caves of the desert, and treated like sinful outcasts. A leper had to leave their family, their community, and their place of worship all behind. Sort of like when someone gets the flu and everyone else tries to stay away, but for life. To have leprosy was to be considered “unclean.” Not just physically but also spiritually. And to touch a leper was forbidden because then you would be unclean too. And if you are unclean you can’t worship God.
With all this in mind, read the scripture above one more time.
What does this leper do that is so shocking (and scary)? What does Jesus do that is so shocking?
People back then believed that you became like whatever you touch. Therefore, if you touch an unclean leper then you will also be unclean. But what if you are perfectly clean, like Jesus, and the leper touches you? Can it work both ways? Can someone unclean be made clean if they are touched by the Son of God – the only truly clean person on earth? Yes!
And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Remember, when we say clean here we don’t just mean no dirt or no disease. That was part of it, but we also mean no sin. Back then, people believed that only sinners got sick. If a person had leprosy it was because they sinned. But that’s not true is it? If only sinners got sick, everyone would be sick all the time, wouldn’t they? And just because you get sick doesn’t mean you committed some terrible sin, does it?
More importantly, Jesus is showing us that he alone is CLEAN. And he is not afraid of our sin or sickness. He loves us so much that he will welcome us, touch us, and cleanse us of all our sin. There are not outcasts with Jesus.
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Have you ever done this? Have you ever confessed to Jesus that you are sick with sin, like the leper was sick with a disease? If you do, you can be sure that Jesus will cleanse you of all your sins and make you into a new creation that can worship God without hiding like an outcast.
Because of Jesus we can be cleansed of all our sin.
With Jesus we can worship God without fear of being an outcast.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Do you know anyone that might feel like an outcast? How can you welcome and love them this week?
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, with you I am never an outcast. Thank you for cleansing me of all my sin. Amen.
TLICfamily 