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by Jason DeZurik

As society begins to open up a bit from a strange year of lock down due to some very odd leadership, I thought it might be good for Christians to actually consider how Jesus Christ handled not only germs but how He handled a very contagious disease back in the times when He walked on the earth. That disease, which was quite common back then, was leprosy. It not only was quite common, but it was so incredibly contagious that a person who had contracted it needed to stay away from the general population. If a person with leprosy was somehow going to be coming into contact with people in the general population, the person with the leprosy needed to yell, “Unclean! Unclean!” wherever they went to make sure those around them knew to stay away from them so they might not catch this horrible disease. They also needed to cover their mouths in order to protect others. For those of you still wondering why someone would have to do this, it was required because if a person catches leprosy, their skin will be eaten away. A person’s fingers, toes, and even nose can be eaten away by this horrible disease, ultimately leading to death. As far as I know, it is curable today with antibiotics, but it seems to be curable if only caught early enough.

Back when Jesus Christ walked the earth, though, there was no known cure for leprosy. So how did Jesus handle someone who had a deadly disease while He walked the earth? Did Jesus Christ shy away or ignore a leper like most people did in His day? Let's find out together.

We see the following account in Matthew 8:1-4:
“When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’”

Did you see how Jesus literally dealt with a person who had a highly contagious disease back in biblical times? He did this in public with a crowd around Him. He did not do this behind a closed door or “socially distanced” like so many in those times did with leprosy.

Let's look at it again:
- Jesus reached out and got closer to the man
- Jesus touched the man
- I think we can easily deduce, because he addressed the man directly, that Jesus in essence got eye to eye with the man and was face to face with him.

Here's a great video clip to give you an idea of what might have taken place in this situation.

Jesus did this with a man who was very contagious with a deadly disease. That is what Jesus chose to do, and then He healed the man.

All I am trying to do is to hopefully challenge you, the reader. I especially challenge you that if you claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ, that you should be willing to be fearless and act like Jesus did. Follow the example of Christ regarding our virus today that has a recovery rate that is literally over 98%.

What is there to fear? Some of you might say, “death.” Others of you might say, “pain and suffering.” This is actually true, and I am willing to concede those points. But I would then ask you, do you drive a motor vehicle, cross a busy street, use a knife to cut things, or do you ever drink or eat unhealthily? I ask because all of those things can cause death, pain, and suffering as well.

Near the very beginning of this whole situation, I had asked someone what they believed we were trying to stop. They essentially told me the death of millions and millions of people in the United States (This was when those of us in our state of Ohio were still being told that we needed “15 days to flatten the curve”). I asked this person and many other people, if millions upon millions of people do not die from this, then what? At the time, most said that we can get back to living our lives.

Yet, in my personal experience and through many conversations with many of these same people, they are seemingly now wanting to eradicate death, disease, and dying altogether. It just boggles the mind. It is incredibly shocking to me because as followers of Christ, we already know that Jesus Christ has defeated death, disease, and dying. He did this through His birth, life, death, and resurrection. I could go on and on, but I will stop here today as I wrap up this first installment of this series.

Philippians 4:6-7 states, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Focus on Christ, my friends. Let's lead in hope and not in fear.

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