Lepers and Outcasts:

When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy^[ are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”  Matthew 11:2-6

Physical leprosy is a disease that affects the nerve endings in the body. One ceases to feel the sensation of hot or cold, or of pain. Eyesight can be affected. Limbs can be damaged by cuts and burns. Nasal passages affected with the disease make it difficult to breathe. More complications can make life very miserable for the person who suffers from leprosy.

This disease still prevails in the world, today.

Lepers were contagious, and they would be separated from their communities and families.

If lepers saw a person, they had to cry out, “unclean” in order to warn people of their condition, during Jesus’s time.

For a person to get leprosy, it pretty much ruined their whole life, physically and socially.

The only hope for them was to hear that Jesus cleansed lepers! This truly was a miracle! People had their lives restored when Jesus cleansed them of this disease.

The meaning of leprosy has changed to include this definition:   ‘a person who has been rejected or ostracized for unacceptable behavior, opinions, character, or the like; anathema; outcast.’

Many of us have become spiritual outcasts of the world, put into this category of lepers.

Don’t be disheartened. Jesus was hated and ostracized, though He was perfect in every way.

If you are doing righteous things as the world is turning its back on Jesus, don’t lose hope if you don’t fit in!

John 15:¹⁸ “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

No matter what kind of leper there is, Jesus is the answer, You need look no further.

Dear Lord, You cleansed lepers, and set captives free. Once You cleanse a person, they are truly clean, inside and out. Help me to remember this. You have already reminded us that our hope is not in this world, it is in You alone. Thank You!

-Dawn-