Matthew 8:1-4: Leprosy
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
Jesus does not keep himself away and apart from those who are considered to be unclean; rather, he wades in among the tumult and confusion of everyday life to bring healing where there is sorrow, order where there is chaos, and love where there is hate. We might consider such work ourselves and as we do, we might reflect on the answers to these questions: Who among us are the lepers in our society, who are the healers who transform lives with kind words and merciful gestures, and who among us will testify to the value and worth of those who live along the edge?
Today we encourage one another to steer away from identifying someone with their disease and so in our modern world we tell this story using the words the man or woman or child with leprosy so as not to condemn anyone a permanent identification with their condition. While we reflect on this thought, let us also consider the many names we have for others that pigeon-hole them an eternal status from which they cannot escape or redeem themselves.
Use the scripture link to compare various versions of these verses as we remember times when we were pigeon-holed . . . or times when we pigeon-holed others.
Enter the word leprosy in the blog search bar and reflect on who lives along the margins of our lives.
Image from: https://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_215870/Jean-Marie-Melchior-Doze/Jesus-Healing-the-Leper
The Noontimes 
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