Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched him, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Mk 1: 40-42
First Read
The initial words that stuck out to me were at the beginning and end of the Gospel reading, which the full reading can be found here.
“be made clean” and “he went outside“
Second Read
All of the readings this Sunday seem to center around cleansing. I think this is a good way to enter into Lent on Wednesday.
The first reading describes the old law for lepers who needed to announce their uncleanliness publicly then go live outside of the camp so as to not infect others.
Then the Psalm says:
I said, “I confess my faults to the Lord” and you took away the guilt of my sin.
Psalm 32
Finally, the Gospel reading talks about a leper, except this man is not outside the camp. He comes to Jesus trusting that he can be changed. Jesus touched him. This alone could use some reflection, but is not where I felt to pause. Jesus encounters the man and heals.
This man, now healed, begins to share his story so much that Jesus “remained outside in deserted places”. He couldn’t enter towns quietly any more. I’d imagine that crowds would form too quickly for him to get anywhere or talk to anyone.
Third Read
I like this image that Jesus does not prefer a big audience to get his message across. I think it is because his message is one of relationship. Relationships aren’t taught in a lecture hall or a stadium. Love is taught personally and relationships are case-by-case. God’s relationship to each of us is personal. In order to get that personal time with us, Jesus goes out to the quiet and deserted places for us to meet him.
This struck me that the leper no longer needed to live on the outside of camp in shame. He was free to be among the community in town. Now, it was Jesus taking his place on the outside, but not in shame.
Jesus’ time outside was a choice for good, so that he could personally encounter those who went out of their way to seek him. He took this man’s shameful place and redeemed it for the Good. This happens again, later in the Gospels, when Jesus walks outside city walls to take our shameful crosses and redeem them for Good.
Action
and people kept coming to him
Mk 1:45
To know Jesus and to be in a relationship with him, we have to go to where he is. While he pursues you constantly with a hand extended, he will also not force a relationship with anyone.
How can I seek God more?