Contents
What is leprosy?
The World Health Organization (WHO) explains leprosy (also known as Hansen’s disease) as a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. The disease mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosal surfaces of the upper respiratory tract and the eyes. Leprosy is known to occur at all ages ranging from early infancy to very old age. Leprosy is curable and early treatment averts most disabilities. How is this sickness transmitted? The exact mechanism of transmission of leprosy is not known. At least until recently, the most widely held belief was that the disease was transmitted by contact between cases of leprosy and healthy persons. More recently the possibility of transmission by the respiratory route is gaining ground. There are also other possibilities such as transmission through insects which cannot be completely ruled out. The Hebrew term ẓaraʿat is traditionally rendered “leprosy” due to its translation by the Greek as lepra (cf. LXX, New Testament, and Josephus). The Greek lepra covers a wide range of diseases that produced and produces scales. The Greek lepra may have included true leprosy (Hansen’s disease), but is definitely not limited to it. In fact, biblical descriptions of ẓaraʿat do not include the necrosis associated with Hansen’s disease. The term ẓaraʿat is a generic name, embracing a variety of.….
Segregation of lepers
Why did the Jews isolate a person suffering from leprosy? There is much reason to believe that the segregation of lepers was mainly due to religious reasons than as a hygienic restriction. Among the Jews, Ẓara’at was looked upon as a disease inflicted by God upon those who transgressed his laws. It was a divine visitation for evil thoughts and evil deeds. Every leper mentioned in the Hebrew (Old) Testament was afflicted because of some transgression. For instance.….
Jesus and leprosy
As a faithful Jew, Jesus did not condemn the idea of isolating the leper. However, he restored those afflicted with this disease, and made them return among their people. As explained above, incurable by man, many believed God inflicted the curse of leprosy upon people for the sins they committed. Hence, they were so despised and loathed that they were not allowed to live in any community with their own people (cf. Num 5:2). Among the many defilements of ancient Jewish laws, leprosy was second only to a dead body in seriousness. A leper was not allowed to come within six feet of other people, including his own family. Lepers lived in.…..
Conclusion
The key lesson of the incident of the leper is that sin defiles us in the sight of God, but through Jesus, we can be healed of the plague of sin that separates us from God. God loathes sin. It is repulsive to him. Sin bans us from the presence of God because God will not allow sinful man or woman in his sight (cf. Ps 5:5; Hab 1:13; Rev 21:27). This is not only true of sins that are normally regarded as filthy and repulsive, but it includes all forms of disobedience and rebellion (cf. 1Sam 15:23; Prov 15:9). All sin is abhorrent to God. But those who have been redeemed from sin by grace through faith in Christ (cf. Eph 2:8–9) can stand in God’s presence in full confidence that we are accepted “in the beloved” and we praise him for the grace he extends to us for that purpose (cf. Eph 1:5–7). The news of Christ spread fast and far until it reached the outcasts from Jewish society, the very dregs of humanity.…
FOR DETAILS, GET YOUR OWN COPIES OF THE BOOK “THE WORD OF LIFE: SUNDAY REFLECTIONS” (vols. I and II)!! The reflection for the 6th Sunday of the Year (B) is found on vol. II pages 96–116. Happy reading!
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