It is understood that leprosy in Scripture is a picture of sin. The reference is vivid as there is no known cure for the leper just as there is no natural cure for sin. And the fact that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”, Romans 3:23, shows the extent that sin has gripped this world. More widespread than leprosy, sin has had a vastly more devastating impact on our world and on individuals.
But do we give up is despair when we realize we are sick or have contracted a deadly disease? Most people will seek help. Consider a group of people we read about is Luke 17. “And as he (Jesus) entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” After realizing their dire condition, these men asked for help from the only one who was uniquely able to cure them. Upon compliance with the simple command of “Go”, they were cured. In verse 14 we read “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God.”
Truly, a miraculous cure from a dread disease had just occurred. And this one man was so overwhelmed that he needed to thank Jesus Christ, who had just healed him. But if “sin” is a condition far worse than leprosy, shouldn’t we each take time to thank the one who has granted us eternal cleansing? And wouldn’t it be fitting if we allowed this spirit of thankfulness to control our character on a daily basis?
Another Scriptural passage dealing with lepers is found in II Kings 7. There we read of four men who knew they were going to die, so in verses 3 and 4 they weighed the options of their fate and the relative certainty of their choices. After choosing to visit the camp of their enemy, the Syrians, how surprised were they when they found that nobody was there. Being unaware that God had miraculously driven the Syrian host away, they began to enjoy the provisions of food, clothing and riches they found. However, we read in verse 9 that their consciences made them feel guilty: “Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace”. So they returned to the city and told the King’s household of what they found in the Syrian camp. The end result was the God’s people were rescued from their enemy and enjoyed the spoils from the camp of the Syrians.
The lesson from these two groups of lepers is that we, as sinners, are no different than the lepers. But there is a cure for sin by simply believing in Jesus Christ – that He alone can wash our sins away because He paid the price for those sins at Calvary’s cross. And then once we realize we’ve been cleansed, we need to tell others how they, too, can be clean. We should be encouraged to do just this as Jesus, himself, tells us, ”Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel”, Mark 16:15. The world starts on the street where we live. We can all help to spread the good news of salvation from our sins.
Author ~ Jim Johnston