Lepers: Living Zombies! Pt. 2

Jesus Cleanses a Leper Luke 5:12-16

12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 15 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

I left off in the last post at verse 14. Jesus told the cleansed man to tell no one. The most miraculous thing happened to this guy and he wasn't supposed to say a single word about it! This guy had just been freed from physical torment and pain. He had just been given a new lease on life. He was to remain silent and go straight to the priest and make an offering for his cleansed state. I know when Jesus came into my life I wanted to tell everyone and I still do. No words could have compared to what the crowd had already seen. The leper had staggered through the city crying out his warning to those in his way. His skin had been pouring out blood and disease as he crept along, but now all of this was gone. There were no open sores with dust-caked blood covering the rags he wore for clothes. The man could walk in perfect stride, free of pain. Those in attendance to this miracle would have been awestruck with silence and wonder. The first murmurs through the crowd of what they had just witnessed would have grown to a riotous proportion. The word would have traveled fast and made it to the priest even before the man arrived to give an offering of proof.

Verse 15 tells us that the news of his teachings, and more so his miracles, were reaching across the region giving him more momentum to spread his message to everyone who wanted to hear it. His message preceded him wherever he went, the facts were mixed with fiction, but he was still gathering large crowds who wanted to see it for themselves. To be able to make their own judgements on this simple man named Jesus and the wonders he was performing. Verse 16 shows us Jesus, no matter how busy he was healing and preaching, he still took time to rest and pray. Jesus needed rest, just like us. It is important for us to take time to refresh and recharge ourselves. The large crowds who had gathered wanted to see the miracles and hear the teachings of Jesus. They all wanted to be in his presence, but he knew they would wait for what they truly wanted.

Lepers: Living Zombies! Pt. 1

Jesus Cleanses a Leper Luke 5:12-16

12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 15 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

Jumping right in, we find Jesus in one of the cities. It was probably a major city, which would mean a population of 15-25,000 people. Jerusalem, the Jewish capital city, had a population of nearly 50,000 to give a perspective of population sizes. A town in that time could be a group of 2,000 people living in the same area. Not exactly what we would think of as a large city, since most of us live in modern towns well over 10,000 people.

So here we find "a man full of leprosy" which means he was in really bad condition. Luke, the author, was a doctor, so when he writes that this man was full of leprosy, it's not an exaggeration, but an accurate description of how sick the man was. Leprosy is a skin condition that makes your skin fester and painfully crack open oozing pus and blood. It would start in a generalized area and spread. The open sores would breed infection which led to loss of fingers, hands, toes, feet, up to full appendages. There have been recorded cases in the mid-1800s where people had leprosy for so long it eventually made their eyes crust over because at that point the disease had overtaken the mucus membranes in the eyes. The eyes would literally rot out of your skull from infection. Leprosy at any stage causes the afflicted person to be in constant pain and suffering. Let me give you an idea of the intensity of these verses. You read the verses and think "Oh how nice, Jesus healed the leper, that was really nice of him." I can assure that this was not the case. This four verse story is the equivalent of an episode you might find on The Walking Dead.

Verse 12 says "there came a man..." and everyone would have know he was there. In Leviticus 13:45-46 it says

45 “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip[b] and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ 46 He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.

The man enters into the city where he has been kicked out and he is yelling in a garbled voice "unclean, unclean, UNCLEAN!!!" His hair is dreaded, his clothes torn. He hasn't bathed in years due to the pain of the condition of his skin. He reeks of blood, rotting flesh, and filth. The pain makes him weak. He staggers through the crowds. People are running away from him as he nears, others are throwing rocks from afar. Nobody dares go near him for fear of becoming infected.

Think of the second season of The Walking Dead with the walkers in the barn. They were once normal people, but had become zombies through infection. The walkers in the barn were still loved, but kept away from everyone else, since they were a menace to anyone who came near them. The leper may have had family and friends who loved him like the walkers in the barn. They would leave food and water for him in a specified area for him to come get after they left. There would be no contact, ever! Nobody would touch this guy, the leprosy had become extreme. He knew Jesus was his answer, that he could help him. He could cure him. The leper makes his way through the city and finds Jesus' whereabouts. He falls on his face, not from weakness, but in admiration of Jesus. He worships him at his feet as if Jesus was king. The man doesn't demand cleansing, but asks humbly for it. "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." He leaves it up to Jesus. He lets Jesus do what he wants with his life. Verse 13, the most amazing thing happens. Before Jesus says a word, he does the unthinkable.

HE TOUCHES HIM!!!

Can you believe it? This man is infected with a nasty, flesh rotting disease and Jesus reaches out and touches him. Nobody would come near him, let alone even think of touching him. Who knows when the last time this man had been touched by someone else? Jesus tells him "I will; be clean." Jesus doesn't just heal the man, but cleanses him too. He deems him clean before God as Aaron and his sons would have. The leprosy left him immediately. He cleansed him completely! He wasn't just cured, but clean before God.

Not Gatorade, it's eternal made! pt. 6

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.

42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

This woman who was at the well, full of shame and sin was used by Jesus and he gave her a testimony that changed the lives of many. Because of her testimony they believed and were excited, so much so they invited Jesus to stay with them to get closer to him as a friend. Remember that the beginning of this series we learned that Jews and Samaritans were enemies, but now through a sinful woman, Jesus started to break down the walls of hatred to make a new relationship between the two groups. He can use anyone to bring his will.

Verse 42 tells us woman's testimony drew the people closer to Jesus and as they got closer they could find out for themselves who Jesus was. He is the Savior of the world! Jesus used a woman from a despised people who despised her and all she had been caught up in. She was nowhere near perfect, but she was prefect for Jesus to use her in his plan. No matter how much of a lowlife or a loser we think we are Jesus can use us to bring the message of salvation!

Not Gatorade, it's eternal made! Pt.5

19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

The woman knows a bit about her Jewish heritage and faith, even though she is has adapted pagan rituals into her belief system. Remember the Samaritans have been infiltrated with the Assyrian beliefs when the land was over taken several hundred years before. Verse 20 gives us the notion she has worshiped the pagan gods of Assyria and the Jewish God regularly at the mountain near where they were talking. The mountain was Mt. Gerizim. The Jews were right with the idea that they should have gone to Jerusalem for festivals and worship at least yearly. Even if the Jewish despised the Samaritans and would have likely treated their offerings with contempt and suspicion.

Jesus explains to her that soon where she worships will not make a difference, there will be no sacrifices to be made at the temple. The ultimate sacrifice would be made by Jesus on a cross. God's chosen people were the Jews, so they knew of the coming of Christ. The Samaritans may have heard about it, but did not have clear interpretation and understanding of it. The truth in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection leads the way for him to send the Holy Spirit upon his people for truth and guidance. The woman says she knows about the Messiah and that he will explain everything, which is telling the truth about the importance of Christ's mission on Earth. Salvation is from the Jews, but not strictly for the Jews. It is for anyone who wants to know and live the truth of Jesus' mission.

Not gatorade, it's eternal made! Pt. 4

16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

17 “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

I find these verses to be a eye-opening more than anything to the fact that Jesus knows us. He knows everything about us. Everything! Jesus tells the woman, who we know nothing about to get her husband. She admits the truth, but its only half the truth. We know that Jesus knows our hearts, but this woman wasn't in the know. She was trying to slide by and tell him only a part of her story. Jesus revealed who he was and his power by calling her out, yet doing it in a gentle manner. She knew she was busted, but she wasn't being condemned. Jesus makes no remarks about her sad situation, but verifies for her that her situation is not a healthy one. A fact that she already knows since she is fetching water at the hottest part of the day.

The woman having fives husbands is extreme for our modern standards, but back then it was unheard of. The only way a woman was to remarry was if the husband left her or the husband died. I have a feeling that the woman didn't have five husbands who died. She was also with a man who was not caring for her. She was used for sex. There was no part of her relationship that edified her standing in her community. If she was seen with the man and was not married or if he was a male from her family, she was seen as a prostitute.

Whether she was a prostitute or not, notice that Jesus does not condemn or make her lesser than the person she is. Jesus knows that even with her sin, he can still use her to glorify his name and spread the gospel.

Not Gatorade, it's eternal made! pt.2

I left off in the last post about the importance of the time of day. It was noon it tells us in verse 6. Noon, the hottest part of the day. Why would a woman walk alone by herself a mile out of town to get water at the hottest time of the day? She was a lowlife! The well in Jesus' day was like Starbucks of today, it was the place to be in the morning to catch up with friends and listen to Mumford and Sons and Guster ad nauseaum. The Samaritan woman had no friends and we find out in a later verse that she has no friends because she has been married fives times and is currently with a guy she isn't married to. Nobody wanted to be associated with her. The Samaritans were heathens, but they still had standards. Getting divorced in that time was bad, do it 5 times and you have a recurring spot on the Jerry Springer Show. She was disliked and probably plagued with gossip, which has led her to coming out to the well at the hottest time of the day so she would be alone. It would be adisgrace for her to arrive at the well alone. She was a epic loser in love. Think about it, being a Samaritan she was hated by Jews, but because of her infidelities she was hated by her own people. She was hated by everyone, until Jesus came along.

In verse 7 the dialogue between Jesus and the woman begins and Jesus is about to break every social rule of that day, there was to break!

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.),

9 The Samaritan woman said to him,“You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus is left alone at the well and the Samaritan woman comes up to draw some water and Jesus asks for some water. To us in this day and age asking for a drink wouldn't be seen as odd, but in Jesus' day it was a social no-no. A man would never address a woman in public, especially if they were alone. There were Jews who would not address a woman in public, even if it was their sister, daughter, or wife. They didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression. They didn't want to be tempted either. There were these Pharisees, they were called the "Bleeding Pharisees" since they would walk around with there head down, staring at the ground running into things, just so they wouldn't be tempted by a woman. These people took this very serious. The woman knows the social rules and questions Jesus how he would even dare speak to her since" 1.) she is a Samaritan and 2.)an alone woman. She states that she is a Samaritan and that is request is outlandish. The author John even makes note that Jews don't associate with Samaritans at the end of verse 9. It is that important that John gives commentary to his own writing.

Not Gatorade, it's eternal made! Pt. 1

If you read back into the "Jesus...a skater?" post, you will read I mentioned a story about the woman at the well in John Chapter 4. I am going to go a bit in depth and explain how much of a loser this chick was. It will take me 2 or 3 posts to get it all out, so bare with me. I think you will be surprised and intrigued about Jesus' attitude towards racism, sexism, and getting right with God. Let's start with the first 3 verses of John, chapter 4.

4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

Verse 4 states that "he had to go through Samaria". The words "he had to go" indicate something crucial is going on here, but the text doesn't point it out. This is where geography and history put things into a bigger picture. If you bare with me, this will all make a lot of sense in the next post and why it is important info.

The land of ancient Palestine was separated into three areas: Judah in the south, Galilee in the north, and Samaria smack dab in the middle. Galilee and Judah were Jewish lands. Samaria was an area of confused spiritualists mixing Judaism with whatever they decided to worship. Mostly it was nature, but not the God how made it. They probably were in the running for the patron saint of pluralism. Normally, a Jew traveling from North to South or vice-versa would go around Samaria along the far side of Jordan. It didn't matter that it took an extra day. They viewed Samaritans as spiritual mongrels, in-breeds, and heathens. Needless to say, Jews and Samaritans despised each other with great passion.

To give a small inkling of their overall hatred towards each other, if a Samaritan owed a Jew money, the Samarian would drop the coin money owed into a vessel of water so that when the Jew pulled it out of the water it was considered clean. It would be like whites and blacks in the 1950's in the United States. We had black restrooms and white restrooms. Segregation was something we sadly did as Americans, but it was nothing new. The Jews treated the Samaritans the same way. The Jews would do anything not to be seen as unclean, so they treated them as the whites treated blacks. The Jews would use separate everything to avoid contact with anything a Samaritan touched. There was over a 600 years of bad blood between the Jews and Samaritans.

Verse 5 and 6 gives us a backdrop of how long the people have lived in the area. Joseph's bones were brought back and buried at the well. The 24th chapter of Joshua ,when Joshua assembles all the tribes of Israel, he brings Joseph's bones to the well. This is around 1443 b.c. Joshua declared a rock as a witness as he presented the laws and decrees of God to the people there. The people in Samaria were taken captive by the Persians and made exiles in their own land. During that time of exile the Persians persisted with their idolatry and image worship until the Samaritans combined Judaism and idol worship together, creating a hybrid religion that did not put God as the God of creation, but a god from man's hand. The temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed (Ezra 4:1-5) and the Samaritans offered to help rebuild the temple, but the Jews refused. This created even more tension between them.

Verse 6 tells us Jesus had been traveling in the hot middle eastern sun until noon. He was tired, which tells us even though he was the Son of God, he was still man. The heat drained him of his energy just as it would do to us. The well was not a little "Jack and Jill up the hill" kind of well. This well was nine feet wide and roughly 250 feet deep. There was a wall around it about knee to thigh high. This is where Jesus sat. The last thing we find out in these three verses is the time. It's noon, the hottest part of the day. When the Bible gives us a specific time, there is usually a very good reason for it. Why would a woman walk a mile from town to the well in the heat of the day? I will explain more in the next few posts. Just three short verses and there was all this to explain. These are Cliff notes in comparison to the depth we could really go into.