Intimacy with the broken

Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

Matthew 8:1-3

As Jesus is among the crowds that have been following Him, an outcast with leprosy approaches Him. Leprosy was used to describe a set of skin diseases that would result in blisters, ulcers, discoloration and even nerve loss. It was contagious and would often result in a gradual decline in quality of life for the victims. Those with leprosy would be ostracized to special areas or camps where no one else would be affected because simply touching someone with leprosy would have the other party also considered unclean and unsafe.

Those with leprosy would be susceptible to losing limbs from excess injury or burns because of their loss of nerve function. They had to be quarantined away from others and forced to cover their wounds while referring to themselves as their ailment. This guy with leprosy has nothing else to lose. He would be asked to shout “unclean” whenever anyone came within distance of him because there was a fear that his problem would affect them. But I love his boldness. This man who has almost oxymoronically been made to hide and cover his wounds yet continually be referred to by his ailment hears about this Jesus guy who has been healing the sick and diseased and thinks it may be worth a try. Some of us may be able to identify. Things outside of your control have forced you to both cover and be ashamed of your hurts and weaknesses while also being continually reminded of them based on how others interact with you. You are constantly caught in a space of being ashamed but exposed. Your faults or the faults against you seem to be all people see when they come in contact with you. It feels like that rumor pops up above your head whenever you meet a new person. You can't seem to shake this stench that causes others to isolate you. You may feel like you have to hide your mistakes and feel shame whenever you see some of the people you’ve hurt. You may be trying to put on a fake smile, cover the signs of pain, and forget your ailment while those around you keep putting salt in the wounds. Some of us may know what it's like to be stuck with a problem and reminded of it daily. But this guy thinks to himself, I can either stay here or I can believe for better.

 I'm sure he had hazy memories at best of what it was like to be whole. This disease had eaten away at his entire way of life. All he knew now was disease and the humiliation surrounding it. But He knew He had nothing to lose in trying. The worst that could happen would be him staying in the situation he was currently in. So he went to Jesus. He breaks protocol, goes into a crowd and falls at the feet of Jesus out of desperation. He asks if Jesus is willing to heal him and Jesus says yes. It would be one reason to celebrate if Jesus just said He could. But Jesus went a step further and said He would. Jesus isn’t just able, He is willing. 

Everyone else had discarded him. Everyone else had stopped talking to him or seeing him with the care expected from another human. This man was even in the wrong being in this large crowd as his illness could ruin the lives of others. He was actively in the wrong. But Jesus turned away from the crowd and in an act of rebellion against the cultural expectation, focused on the one who was hurting. His eyes were drawn to the most broken person in the space. However that isn’t where this story is the craziest. I want to let you know that Jesus is more than willing and able to fix your problem no matter how dire or dark it seems. Jesus doesn’t ignore or turn His nose up at the situation. Not only is Jesus willing to help, Jesus takes it a step further, reaches out His hand and touches him!

Leprosy was contagious. Those who touched a contaminated person were then themselves considered contaminated. Jesus risks His public image and some could ever argue His safety by coming into this man's space to help him. And I wanna remind you that no matter how bad others have made your problem out to be, no matter how bad your life is getting, no matter how many broken parts of you there are, Jesus is willing and able to walk into your space and change it. He doesn't care about the public opinion. He cares about you! 

Jesus isn't afraid of your addiction. He isn't afraid of your abuse. He isn't embarrassed by your confusion or past. He doesn’t care more about His public image than He cares about your wholeness. He is ok with looking stupid and leaving the ninety nine to find you, the one sheep that is lost. 

Jesus could have just said the word or told him to do something to be healed. But I think Jesus chose to touch this man with leprosy to remind us of a few things. Jesus isn’t embarrassed of us. He isn't going to treat us like society, our friends, our teachers or even our parents. He won't walk out on you when it gets bad. This tells us that Jesus isn't afraid of our issues. Others may have given up, heck you may have given up. But Jesus hasn’t and is ready to fight for you. Light always beats darkness. It doesn't matter how bad your life is, it's not too bad for Jesus. Jesus knows the real you and loves that version of you. He will come to your space to bring not just peace but healing to your life. 

Have you ever been in a relationship with someone or worked with someone who had traumatizing relationships in the past? It’s interesting how the hurt they have experienced and the trauma they went through will affect what they expect from you. They may have defenses up when you try to do nice things. They may not expect you to actually care about what they have to say or what they have to do. When you love someone who has been through relational trauma, there is a process of time and work that is needed to build emotional trust. It may take years for them to start opening up to allow you to love them. It takes work and vulnerability.

I believe Jesus understands this and fights to love us through this. He knows how hurt we’ve been. He’s seen the years of pain and hiding we’ve gone through. He knows how others have treated us and how we have reacted to it to protect ourselves. And I believe this is why He goes out His way to prove to this man that this encounter isn't like the others. 

In order to love, you may have to touch and not just talk. I remember a time when I was with a group feeding the homeless over the pandemic. And the Spirit told me to do something simple yet profound. He told me to hug the man I was talking to. Now this was against the norm and what logic would say was even safe. But while others were content talking, I felt like God told me to touch. While others were feeding, I felt like God told me to feel. And in that single embrace, I could feel pain melt away and guards fall down. I saw how doors opened and walls fell down as we talked for an hour about life, love, issues and how Jesus is Lord of them all. Going out of my way to prove to this man that I wasn't afraid of what he may have on Him was the catalyst to seeing healing flash through the expression on his face. While talking was good, going out of my way to hug caused humanity to shine through. Vulnerability and intimacy is often what is missing when we try to love people.

While I get the fears and threats, God may be leading you to step out into vulnerable places in some relationships so that people know that you actually love them (and through you that God actually loves them). While my story is a simple first world problem, you may be called to love the person who others are afraid of. I’m not saying to discount the sins or hurts they may have caused others. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be boundaries or consequences but the Bible says kindness is what leads to repentance. God will lead you as you love those who are deemed unlovable. I’ve seen emotional wrecks heal because someone was strong enough to sit with them, knowing they’d be hit. I've seen the wounded heal because someone was close, knowing they’d be bled on. The arrogant person learned humility because someone got close enough to address the real hurt. Can I be a little bit more edgy? The person accused of abuse may be a listening ear away from true repentance. Maybe the worst people among us are an act of ruthless kindness away from their healing. The Bible literally says to pray for those who hurt you. Jesus was so nice to Judas that the other disciples couldn’t point it out when Jesus said one of them would betray Him. He treated them all the same. You don't have to lower the standard of what you believe is right and wrong to love the person in the wrong. You can offer a listening ear, calm advice or a prayerful intercession for those who should be considered enemies. I believe God will actually lead you to unlovable people that you are graced to love. Like animals who can thrive in environments that make others die, you may be uniquely equipped to love the arrogant out of their insecurity or the reactive and defensive out of their fear. 

If God does this for us and the Spirit of God is in us, we have the power and call to do this for others. This is hard because there are people I believe God has called me to befriend and love people who I am honestly afraid of. They make me uncomfortable. But as I have the faith to pour into them, I learn more about myself and God in the process.  I believe Jesus loves us enough to fight through the opinions of others to give us a chance at healing. I believe Jesus goes out of His way to let us know that we are still seen, valued and loved no matter how broken we may be. I believe God loves us enough to be patient and consistent as we realize He isn't here to treat us like others did. Jesus is coming to say I won't treat you like your father, mother, teacher, brother or friend. And as we accept God’s love, we will have the safety and security to radically love others like He did. As we recognize God’s love, we will see the fear to love others melt away. As we let go and allow God to permeate our lives and realities, we like Him will touch the untouchable. 

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