Leprosy's Skin Disease

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This man had the worse disease of his day. Leprosy. It would rot the body from the outside inward. It distorted the body to a state of gruesome decay, decay that consumed the body, even before death. Those who had it, saw their skin as it would disintegrate. Those who way them trembled in disgust and fear. Their fingers and toes would rot off before their very eyes. The disease could effect the face, the back. It was dreaded and it was a killer. There was no way to hide it’s presence. It was evident to all who were around. The victims of this disease were cast out away from the public. Secluded from family and society. Forced to wear bells and call out “Unclean! Unclean!” as they were faced others. God himself had mandated in Levitical Law that those with a skin disease would be excluded from the community (Levicticus 14:46-46).
There was no hiding from …show more content…

Kneeling...begging “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” I have a feeling it wasn’t the first time he’d been in a beggars stance. In fact he would probably have been known to catch the eye of a Pharisee walking by. According to what I know about Pharisees the louder and more dramatic this man begged the more likely the passing Pharisee would have been to give to him. The Pharisees liked the publicity (Matthew 6:2). I do believe that this man was begging like he had never begged before. In hopeful, humble, broken. (Act 2:32).
This leper was a man. Previously he may have had a family. Job? Wife? Son? Daugther? Whatever his status or role. Whatever his relationship–he had to leave it all behind. He was an outcast. So much so that there are Rabbi’s recorded who bragged of throwing rocks at lepers, just to make sure they kept their distance. 1 This man risked everything by clamoring into this crowd that had gathered around Jesus. Torn clothes, decayed skin, unkempt hair and a disease that everyone feared. On top of it all...he came

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