B 6 Sun 15 (Mk 1:40-45)

            The story about the man with leprosy in today’s gospel is a story about faith in God.  Today, we tend to think of faith in rather basic terms.  For many, faith is merely the belief that God exists, while the content of faith itself is a set of beliefs about God. This modern understanding of faith does not do justice to how the ancient Hebrews understood faith.  For them, faith was a two way street.  God wanted and sought out a relationship with his people, and they entered that relationship by placing their hope and trust in God. As a result, their lives centered on their faith, which in turn, shaped and influenced the way they lived.

            This is the background for the story about the leper’s faith in God.  That story begins with the first reading from the Book of Leviticus.  The ritual provisions in Leviticus spelled out the way members of the faith community were to conduct themselves in the face of contagious disease.  Those provisions led to a rather gloomy predicament for lepers in the ancient world.  Lepers were forbidden to come into the city, or to live with any others.  They had to live apart as though they were dead persons (Josephus). 

            Lepers lived apart for both practical and religious reasons. From a practical standpoint, lepers had a contagious disease that required living in isolation to limit the spread of the disease.  From a religious standpoint, the leper also was considered unclean under Mosaic Law because the disease itself was viewed as a punishment for sin.  Thus, the leper was no longer holy before God.  For this reason, the leper was cut off from the living faith community, and stood to forfeit for all time his or her relationship with God and with all others.

            The only available remedy for leprosy in the ancient world was to be healed through a direct intervention by God (Ex. 15:26), or through an appeal to God’s mercy and compassion by a prophet, such as Moses or Isaiah (Ex. 15:25; II Kings 2:21; II Kings 20:7–8).  Either way, the one who was afflicted was expected to pray and fast for healing. 

            The fortunate person who experienced a cure, however, still had to undergo a process of purification as specified in the Book of Leviticus.  First, the person went to the priest, who would affirm that a cure had taken place. Only then would the priest initiate a purification process (Dt. 24:8–9). The priest did nothing to promote or bring about the cure, however. His rituals were performed only to affirm that the disease had indeed passed, and to declare the person clean through the process of purification.  Once made clean in this manner, the person could rejoin the community of the living.   

            This context gives deeper meaning to the story in Mark’s gospel.  Notice that the man with leprosy does not ask Jesus for a cure.  Rather, he begs Jesus to make him clean, for he longs to be part of the living community.  He says to Jesus, "If you wish, you can make me clean."  This approach alone reveals the leper to be a man of belief and humble courage.  For, under Mosaic Law, because he still had the disease, he should not have approached Jesus, or any other person for that matter.  And, under the Law, Jesus should not have touched him. His desperate need to be among the living once again, however, compels the leper to seek Jesus with trust and hope.  And, in his compassion, Jesus meets the man where he is.  Their encounter shows that hope, trust and compassion are the more compelling aspects of faith than are law and ritual. It also shows that the relationship between believer and Jesus is personal.

            The actual request of the leper in these circumstances reveals even more about faith in God.  In essence, his request acknowledges Jesus’ divine power to heal, as well as his divine authority to forgive sins and welcome the sinner back into the faith community.  The leper approaches Jesus with hope to be made clean, and he trusts Jesus to respond with compassion. 

            In placing his hope and trust in the person of Jesus Christ to make good on his request, the leper reveals the true nature of faith in God.  True faith is a matter of hope and trust in God.  And, Jesus responds by affirming the authenticity of such faith when he ignores all religious and social taboo and stretches out his hand, touches the man, and says, “I do will it. Be made clean."  

             The life and mission of Jesus makes clear that he is willing to respond to us, and that he yearns for us to seek him with all boldness and without fear. For this reason, Jesus does not restrict who may seek him.  Clearly, the man with leprosy sought Jesus WHEN he was in need of healing, BEFORE he was clean.  Jesus is not saying:  Go get holy, and then knock on the door.  Rather, Jesus is saying:  Knock on the door and I will open it; I will show you how to be holy.  Seek and you will find.  From this personal standpoint, the question may be:  What do we want from Jesus.  What do we ask for?  What do we seek?  Why do we knock?  

            The encounter between Jesus and the man with leprosy demonstrates that we can approach Jesus no matter what our circumstances.  Jesus meets us where we are.  He looks for faith and is eager to respond to the faith that each of us can muster, however little or much that might be.  The leper shows that we can trust that Jesus will respond to our needs with compassion.  That is the nature of love, and the love of Jesus for each of us is reason enough to place our hope and trust in the Lord.

Jairus and the details

Tuesday in Ordinary Time Year B
Gospel of Mark 5:21-43
Homily by Deacon Joe Stackhouse January 22, 2012

There are some details in the story about the raising of Jairus’ daughter that don’t receive the attention they deserve. For one, Jairus is a ruler in the synagogue. In that role, he would have been concerned about the observance of the law, especially regarding things clean and unclean. For that reason, Jairus would have known that when the woman who is ritually unclean touched Jesus, he too became ritually unclean at that moment. Jesus then could not heal his daughter by the laying on of hands until Jesus had been purified. Yet, Jairus never raises the issue, and Jesus does not let this breach prevent him from curing Jairus’ daughter. The reason is clear. Love and compassion always trump the requirements of ritual.

Another detail that often gets overlooked is the difference in religious standing between Jairus and Jesus. Jesus has no official standing in the synagogue. Jesus is merely a local carpenter. Indeed, his authority to heal has not been established or approved in any official manner. As a result, asking Jesus to cure his daughter could have cost Jairus his job and his reputation in the religious community. A costly mistake for sure. Nevertheless, Jairus remains undeterred and shows no hesitation in asking Jesus for help. From this perspective, Jairus’ boldness provides an unexpected lesson in trust and humility despite the cost.

One other detail should be mentioned. The faith shared by Jairus and the woman tends to get obscured by the difference in Jesus’ response to each. In responding to Jairus, Jesus does not immediately heal Jairus’ daughter from a distance. Although such a response on his part was clearly possible, Jesus instead simply goes with Jairus without indicating what he will do. Along the way, their journey gets delayed when Jesus responds to a woman who doesn’t even ask to be healed. She simply runs up and touches Jesus, and she is healed on the spot. Jesus responds with praise for her faith. Jairus, on the other hand, must patiently wait for this interlude to end before he and Jesus can resume their journey. When they reach their destination, they meet with further disturbance that Jesus resolves before ultimately healing Jairus’ daughter.

These differences in the way Jesus responds show that Jesus meets us where we are. He looks for and is eager to respond to the faith that each of us can muster. The woman quietly touches his robe, but believes. Jairus approaches him face to face. In both cases, however, their request reveals an unwavering trust and confidence in the love and compassion of Jesus. Their faith demonstrates that we can approach Jesus no matter what our circumstances.

Jesus looks for this same kind of faith in us as well. Our hope is that the trust and confidence expressed by Jairus and the woman will inspire and strengthen our own faith as we seek to follow Jesus more closely in our daily lives.