May I tell you a story?

Outcast. Banished. Diseased. Unclean. Rotting. A living corpse. Sinner. All of these words could describe this man. What started out as a spot on his skin quickly spread throughout his whole body. Leprosy. With the diagnoses, he was quickly cast out from all society. He lost his family. His friends. His home. His work. Not only was he not allowed within the city, but he could no longer worship God in the Temple.

He also lost his reputation. "What kind of sin did this man commit," people whispered, "that God would judge him so?" He lost his identity. Whenever others were near, he shouted, "Unclean! Unclean! Unclean!" to warn them that he was full of disease. Perhaps once he had a respectable life, but now he was known only as unclean.

Only God could heal leprosy. He knew this. So, this man prayed desperately for healing. He confessed all he could think of to confess. "God, forgive me. Have mercy on me! Cleanse me from my sin. Heal my body. I want life again…"

Then, Jesus came to town. The man had heard of him. In one desperate courageous moment, he rushed the crowd and crumpled at Jesus' feet. "If you are willing, you can make me clean," he cried.

The crowd grew silent—all eyes on Jesus. "What would he do?" they wondered, "only God can heal leprosy. Only God could heal a sinner."

Jesus then did the unthinkable. He touched the man! The crowd gasped, saying, "Doesn't he know that he is now unclean? He's broken the Law!"

Jesus, full of compassion, said to the man who was full of disease, "I am willing. Be clean!"

Instantly, the man was free.

"I am clean! I am clean! I am clean!" he shouted through the streets.

The story of this man with leprosy (see Mark 1, Matthew 8, and Luke 5) has captured my heart for decades. Jesus is overwhelmingly more concerned about the man than with his own reputation! He doesn't call him a sinner or push him off. He is not repulsed or disgusted. He doesn't back away.

Jesus invites all people to approach him - to be his friend. We don't need to clean up before we go to him (Truthfully, like the man with leprosy, we can't clean up on our own anyway!). When we fall down before him to do what we cannot do, he restores us to a relationship with God. We are no longer outcasts!

This week meditate on this story. Read it in the Gospels. Is there anything that you are letting get in the way of a friendship with him? Who in your life could benefit from hearing this story?