Compassion vs Rules

Leprosy, the law, and loquaciousness—these are just three of the things Jesus was dealing with in this short five-verse story.

The leper ignored the Mosaic Law which strictly prohibited anyone with leprosy from approaching anyone else. Although his faith in Jesus’ capacity to heal him was complete, he was not so sure of Jesus’ willingness to heal him, as he says to Jesus, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” (v 40). Jesus wanted to and broke the law himself by touching the man.

Jesus felt sorry for the man (v 41) and biblical scholars suggest that his compassion may have been a result of his recognizing that the man’s disease was the work of Satan. If so, then this encounter becomes another example of the conflict between Jesus and Satan.

Jesus warned the man not to tell anyone about what had happened and then interestingly told him to uphold the law, just after overriding it himself. Jesus told him to show himself to the priest, who was the one person who could declare him clean. In this way, he could show everyone he was cured.

Did Jesus know the man would talk? Probably. Yet he still chose to heal the man with leprosy, still chose to reveal his authority over sickness and spirits, and still chose to allow himself to be misunderstood as a miracle worker. He chose compassion and healing over traditional rituals and rules.

Thank God for the new covenant, replacing all the rituals and rules that the Jews had devised for themselves. Thank God that Jesus lived by love, not rules.

Respond in Prayer

Lord God, how compassionate and loving you are and how often I fall short of being both. May I continue to learn from Jesus’ choices and resist rituals and rules that do not honour him, in whose name I pray, Amen.

Sarah Patterson