St. Mark 1:40-45
Dearly beloved,
The Holy Scriptures speak clearly about the doctrine of original sin.
Psalm 51 records the words of King David after he had been confronted
by the prophet Nathan, concerning his multi-faceted sins against Uriah
the Hittite and his wife, Bathsheba. In the psalm David confesses his
sins and states for all the world and the church to hear, "Behold, I
was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me."
The content of David's statement speaks concerning the doctrine of
Original Sin. Every human being born into this world through normal
conception carries with him the attachment of original sin. It is
like a coat that we cannot take off. It is a condition that darkens
the world, hiding the beauty of holiness. This condition hides God's
glorious presence from us, so that we cannot see God as we ought.
Adam and Eve's hiding in the garden because they were naked was the
response to sin.
If God were to walk among us in the cool of the day, we would hide in
fear. Something would have to happen to undo the disastrous
consequences of this Original Sin that we all were born with. In the
Holy Scriptures, leprosy is mentioned several times. We see it with
Naaman in the Old Testament lection. We see it in the gospel for
today. There are more occurrences of it in the gospels.
It's not by chance that there is so much mention of leprosy. It
wasn't simply the disease that was prevalent in those days. As is
always the case with the scriptures, while there are things taking
place in the scope of time--real life issues—there is a spiritual
aspect to it, as well. With leprosy, the Levitical laws stated that
the person with the disease had to go outside the city for two weeks.
People could not go near him. There were practical reasons for this,
but spiritual reasons as well.
The person was forsaken. Forced to go outside and away from the
temple or synagogue, there was a certain condemnation in the removal
of the leper. Leprosy, spiritually speaking, symbolizes original sin.
Forsaken by God, condemned to judgment, imminent death at hand, the
leper needed an intercessor. The gospels show us examples of the
helplessness of the leper. This is you and me. We cannot undo what
Adam and Eve did. We come into this world helpless.
All human beings enter the world condemned and forsaken, but in the
gospel Jesus shows the reason for His coming. A leper comes to Jesus
imploring him with urgency, kneeling down and begging Jesus to help.
"Lord, if you are willing you can make me clean." I want you to
remember Christ's response. In the Greek text we are told that Jesus
is moved with compassion—the Greek says that Jesus is affected from
within His very bowels. This condition and helplessness affects Jesus
deeply.
Why? This is His beloved Father's creation gone wrong. This deeply
affects Jesus, for God created Adam and Eve in order to have
fellowship with His creation. But now, now there is pain, suffering,
and hardship. This is the reason Jesus, the 2nd person of the
Trinity, came into the world through the womb of a virgin and was made
man.
Since Jesus was born of a virgin, since He was not conceived in the
natural way, but was incarnate by the Holy Ghost, He did not receive
the disease of Original Sin. He could not because He is God. But
Jesus did this to save us, to heal us from this deadly spiritual
disease. This is why, time and again, we find Jesus healing lepers.
This is a historical account with spiritual dimensions.
Jesus stretches out His hand and touched the leper. No one was to
get near a leper, let alone touch one. Then Jesus spoke "I am
willing; be cleansed." Jesus speaks holy absolution. Immediately, we
are told, the leprosy left the man. Now there may be times where you
feel as though you resemble the leper. Maybe there are times when you
cannot relate to the leper.
The problem we are faced with is that God desires fellowship with us.
He desires that we come closer to Him as we continue on this
spiritual journey. Our problem is that sin is never completely
removed from us. You will continue to have bouts with spiritual
weakness. Through Holy Baptism, Jesus has cleansed you from the guilt
and condemnation associated with Original Sin, but sin still dwells
within you.
When you lust after another person, sin is trying to raise itself up
in you. When you are spiritually numb due to the chaos and busy-ness
of your life, it is a spiritual battle. When you cast doubt about
others through gossip, you are giving yourself over to sin. These are
just a couple of the very dangerous aspects of spiritual leprosy. How
do we combat this evil foe?
How do you get the help you need in this life as you walk the road of
Christ? Your heart and posture must be that of the leper in the
gospel, and interestingly enough, our liturgy, the Divine Service,
leads us into that posture at the very start. Our Divine Service
really is a Biblically guided posture for Christians. The leper comes
to Jesus, imploring Him and kneeling down before Jesus and confesses
his iniquity and illness: "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me
clean."
Jesus, stretching out His hand, says "I am willing; be cleansed."
This very thing happened today. You came in to the church, I
announced the invocation, which is the statement that we are a
baptismal community of believers. Then you were spiritually on your
knees crying out to the Lord through the confession of your sins.
Then I, as God's steward, spoke on behalf of Jesus pronouncing holy
absolution upon you.
When the pastor forgives you, Jesus is saying, "I am willing; be
cleansed." The man was so overcome with thanksgiving that he could
not help but to talk about Jesus even though he was told to keep
silent. The healed man simply could not keep silent. This is what we
do in the liturgy. Thank the Lord, sing His praise and receive what
He has to offer in the sacrament. This is the work that Jesus has
done through the cross. His healing of leprosy was the result of what
would become a reality for the whole world through His death and
resurrection.
When you enter the church, go on your knees and confess to Jesus,
receiving the absolution from the pastor and remind yourself that this
is Christ's forgiveness. This is His love for you. Jesus means for
His church to be at peace, and to find her consolation in Him. Do not
question your salvation nor the love that God has for you. When you
feel the weight of your spiritual leprosy coming over you, then look
to the cross and remind yourself of the redemption that has been
effected through the love and tender mercy of our God. Amen.
--
Rev. Chad Kendall
www.frchadius.blogspot.com
Trinity Lutheran Church
Lowell, Indiana
www.trinitylowell.org
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