Brought Back to Life
Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:19
Most people do not know much about leprosy, nor do they care because while this disease may still exist in remote areas, it has been cured in modern time. But let’s revisit the past for a few moments (Moving Mountains) and think about what life might have been like for those with this disease.
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An Amazing Fact: During the Middle Ages, individuals with leprosy were often required to witness their own funerals.
Ever since Bible times, people with leprosy have been stigmatized. They have been labeled “unclean” and banished from contact with others human beings, often sent to leper colonies to live out a sad, lonely, and miserable existence. This is because many believed that leprosy is highly contagious and lepers were being punished by God for their sins.
Perhaps the most unfortunate treatment toward lepers came during the Middle Ages, when many were actually required to witness their own funerals. The infected person was brought before a priest and declared dead. This was often done while the leper stood in an empty grave as friends and family mourned. The “funeral” ended by having a shovel full of dirt tossed upon the living leper, signifying finality.
You can image the psychological effect this would have on someone who tragically came down with leprosy. For all intents and purposes, the person was “Dead.” The Bible takes a very negative view of leprosy. This is because leprosy served as an illustration of what it looks like to be spiritually dead.
Fortunately, the Bible also shares a number of glorious stories about individuals who were mercifully cured of this dreadful disease. Not surprisingly, many of them reacted with overwhelming joy. And this serves as a picture for the gospel. Though all of us have been dead in our sins, the Bible teaches that God “made us alive together with Christ…and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5-6).
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I want to encourage all of us to look around and see if we have any people in 2022 that we are treating as lepers. Could it be our issues about racism, political preference, homosexuality, or even other denominations? Are we throwing dirt on living souls?
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your healing touch and the events that were recorded in Your Word. Help us to have spiritual radar for those who are struggling. AMEN.