Bible Reflections From Scripture Union Volume OneSample

Who are the Marginalised?
Read Mark 1:40-45

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Mark 1:40

The narrative of Jesus healing a leper is significant for at least two reasons. First, it demonstrates that Jesus ministered to the outcast and those who were considered ceremonially unclean. Second, according to Mosaic law, touching an unclean person brought defilement.

The attitude to leprosy then was almost similar to that of AIDS today, a mixture of fear, disgust, and disapproval. Leprosy was often considered as a punishment for sin. In healing the leper, Jesus was moved to compassion at the suffering caused by the disease, both physically and socially. Physically, leprosy was considered an incurable disease. Socially, it meant exclusion from society. The only choice left was to hope for a miraculous solution to this predicament. By healing the leper, Jesus showed that His compassion and mercy for the sufferer superseded ceremonial traditions.

Because of the example of Jesus, throughout the centuries, many have pioneered the mission of love, mercy and healing to lepers when all others rejected them. What about us today? Will we show the same compassion to those suffering from AIDS or other diseases that have resulted in them being rejected from the community?

Jesus had compassion and reached out to those who were the outcasts of the community. The church is called to do the same.

Lord, open our eyes to the plight of those who are marginalised in our community that we may have the compassion of Jesus in reaching out to them.

What makes us blind to the needs of those who are marginalised in our community?