I am very aware that I am about to tread on sensitive ground. However, I do so with much love and as much grace as I have, to discern the Body of Christ with great respect. I love the church. If it were not for the church – the people of God – I would not be a believer today, let alone be in ministry serving the King of Kings.
There was special moment in the ministry of Jesus where He had just healed a man with leprosy. In those days leprosy was a death sentence at the end of slow and painfully horrendous decay of the body – and most forms of it were highly contagious. There was no cure.
No one survived its ravages.
Mark 1:40-44 (NIV)
A man with leprosy came to Him [Jesus] and begged Him on his knees, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." 41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out His hand and touched the man. "I am willing," He said. "Be clean!" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. 43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."
Jesus was indignant that a brother was suffering with this killer disease. He was indignant at the indignity this man was suffering and it evoked deep passion within Jesus as He looked upon him. This man had leprosy and was, therefore, excluded from his usual rightful place in community. All that had been taken away from him – it was no one’s fault. That’s just how it was and, for the sake of the health of the rest of the community, those with contagious diseases such as leprosy, were separated from everyone else. It was horrible. Jesus hated seeing it. Everyone hated it …
Jesus healed this man! He is freed from this lethal disease and what it had done to him physically, emotionally, psychologically and socially. He instructs the man to go and show himself to the priest at the synagogue and then offer the appropriate sacrifices for cleansing, as a testimony to the rest of the community.
I seek not to equate our current COVID crisis and the effects that it is causing amongst us, with that of the terror of leprosy, and how that was managed in Israel in ancient times. I seek not to make any comparison of like, at all. But I cannot help but take note of what Jesus did in that situation.
Jesus did what He could!
He clearly hated the divisive, brutal impact of what leprosy was causing and what the disease did to people on every level at any age. He hated the plight of this poor, isolated man. But He did what He could towards inclusiveness of the individual concerned. Jesus did not condemn the law of Moses by which leprosy, as a major health issue, was being managed in His day. He did not rail against the priests for doing what they must have hated having to do in every single instance. He did not boycott the synagogue. Neither, despite his indignation, did he criticise the system, or seek to subvert or overturn the health management regime. Or, politicise what was happening.
Jesus did what He could!
Jesus healed this man. He did what He could to see Him included and restored to community. Miraculously, this was an instantaneous healing, but there was yet some process for restoration to community – and also for the full restoration of the whole community which included this man and his rightful place in it …
Again I stress that I seek not to draw similarities between leprosy in Jesus’ day and COVID-19 in our day in terms of disease or contagion per se. But there were certain systemic and communal realities that Jesus faced that He could not change and chose not to subvert, but …
Jesus did what He could!
Jesus worked at including this man despite the existing system and health laws of the day … and this man was, indeed, gradually restored as a result. The laws in place, though dreaded, were necessary. God Himself, had instructed Moses. The restoration wasn’t instantaneous, by any means - it took another 14 days, or so, of purification process and priestly validation (See Leviticus 13). Whether the current rules and laws with which we are saddled are necessary, or not (some are quite arguable, in my view!), or over the top (some might be!) that’s what we have to work with … and we need to do what we can.
I believe all of us need to take from Jesus’ gracious and sensible attitude in these difficult, painful, frustrating COVID circumstances and adopt His approach - as unfair as the circumstances may seem. The pastors and elders of the church are seeking to do what they can to work towards inclusion of all people and the restoration of our worship and fellowship times once again. What we all want to see restored may take a gradual process.
But let’s do what we can! For Jesus, and for each other.
In a fractured and divided world, only the church can model unity because of the grace of Jesus, the love of God and the fellowship of Holy Spirit – COVID, or not, vaccine mandate, or not.
Let’s do what we can.
Anyway, that’s just what I think …
You are loved.
Ps Milton