Tucked away inside the thousands of miracles that Jesus performed is a small note that almost everyone who reads the Gospels usually misses.
It occurs very early in Marks’ Gospel—Mark 1:40-45, to be specific. There, Jesus encounters a leper who runs to Jesus, begging Him to purify Him of His leprosy. In contrast to how others would ask Jesus for this miracle, the leper has full faith, saying “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Then, Jesus does something remarkable. He reaches out and touches the leper.
On the surface, that doesn’t seem like a big deal. After all, Jesus literally touched everyone, and encouraged people to come to Him.
The reason it’s noteworthy is that, according to Leviticus 13:45, someone who had leprosy is designated as “Unclean! Unclean!” And, according to Leviticus 13:46, their dwelling shall be “outside the camp.” This exclusion from the community underscores the severe implications of impurity during that time. In this context, understanding why cleanliness matters in Leviticus becomes crucial, as it emphasizes the need for both physical and spiritual purity to maintain harmony within the community. The regulations serve not only to protect individuals but also to reflect the broader societal values surrounding health and God’s holiness.
It’s really interesting to see how many laws the leper broke just by approaching Jesus to begin with. According to some rabbinic interpretations, a respectful Jew should make every effort to avoid coming into close distance with a leper. As late as the 15th century, some lepers even had to wear a bell when they went in public to alert everyone to their presence.
In addition to the leper running into close proximity with others and Jesus touching the leper, there is also the expectation that doing so would make Jesus ceremonially unclean. If that’s the case, then Jesus should’ve segregated Himself also (ref. Leviticus 5:2). By engaging with the leper, Jesus challenges societal norms and the strict adherence to purity laws that governed interactions within His culture. This bold act not only illustrates His compassion but also indicates a reinterpretation of the forbidden actions in priesthood that prioritize mercy over ritualistic cleanliness. In doing so, He exemplifies a radical inclusion that seeks to redefine community boundaries, illustrating that divine love transcends human regulations.
And, as if all of that wasn’t enough, Jesus proclaims the leper cleansed before the leper is even shown to the priest. According to the Old Law, only the priest can officially declare a leper as cleansed. That’s at least four different social and religious regulations that were violated in Mark 1.
Nobody expected any of that to take place when the leper approached Jesus. At other times, lepers would call out to Jesus from a distance because of their diligence to Old Testament Law (Luke 17:12-13).
But on this occasion, Jesus brought the leper in close—close enough to be touched by the hand of God.
