Cleansed

Luke 5:12-16 (The Message)

One day in one of the villages there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus he fell down before him in prayer and said, "If you want to, you can cleanse me."

Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, "I want to. Be clean."

Then and there his skin was smooth, the leprosy gone.

Jesus instructed him, "Don't talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed self to the priest, along with the offering ordered by Moses. Your cleansed and obedient life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done."

But the man couldn't keep it to himself, and the word got out. Soon a large crowd of people had gathered to listen and be healed of their ailments.

As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.

Word had gotten out. This man could do the impossible. He could heal the sick. He could do miracles.

The leper fell down before him...full of faith, and maybe mostly hope.

That was enough. Can you imagine how sweet the words sounded to his ears?

"I want to."

Cleansed from leprosy, it wasn't just his physical ailment that was healed. He could be restored to the community. Leprosy meant exile. It meant every kind of loss.

Jesus knew that the man would want to go and tell everyone. That the crowds would intensify. That the possibility of people hearing his message might be compromised by the huge volume of those desperate to use him for their healing.

"Your obedient life," Jesus said, "will bear witness to what I have done."

What about us? Should our words or our deeds bear witness to what following Jesus means in our lives?

Both.

Our lives should be able to speak...not because we're "good," and certainly not because we're "better" than anyone else...but because God is alive within us and we are led by the Holy Spirit.

But if we really believe that we've been cleansed...that life is different now than before...then there has to be words, too.

That part is hard and awkward for us sometimes. We get scared of rejection, or of being offensive. But the truth is that folks are pretty open to hearing what somebody else's experience has been.

There's a real difference between, "this is what you should do," and "let me tell you about this amazing experience."

The former leper just couldn't help himself. He couldn't be contained.

And the people came. May it be the same in our lives, church, community and world.

Prayer: May we humbly ask for the help that you want to give us. Change our hearts each day, to more closely resemble your own. May our lives and our words show God at work within us.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.