Only Jesus Can Save Us

𝐉𝐀𝐍. 𝟏𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈: 𝟏 𝐒𝐚𝐦 𝟒:𝟏-𝟏𝟏

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟒𝟒:𝟏𝟎-𝟏𝟏, 𝟏𝟒-𝟏𝟓, 𝟐𝟒-𝟐𝟓 “𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐮𝐬, 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐌𝐊 𝟏:𝟒𝟎-𝟒𝟓

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧!” (𝐯.𝟒𝟏) 

         In the olden times, leprosy used to be a dreaded disease, but modern medical science has turned this disease into a thing of the past. However, there are many people now who are afflicted with leprosy and yet not know they have contracted the disease?

         You’ll most definitely ask how such could be possible when leprosy is a disease that is clearly visible. In fact, like the Jews in ancient times no one among you will probably get near a leper. And I’m telling you this is possible. So read on if you want to know how this could be so.

         What differentiates Jesus Christ from even the most committed modern-day disciples among us was in the way Our Lord reacted when a man afflicted with leprosy knelt before him and begged him saying: “𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧.” (𝐯.𝟒𝟎)        

         The way Jesus reacted reveals not only just his true identity but it provides us with an incisive imagery of what his heart was made of – his was a heart that was filled with nothing but compassion and the willingness to serve – and here he shows his disciples, the people who were present at the time and he is showing us now that we who want to come after him should not, under any circumstance, turn away anyone who is in need of help.

         For better appreciation today’s Gospel reading (𝐌𝐊 𝟏:𝟒𝟎-𝟒𝟓), we can create two scenarios out of this passage. One is we can think of ourselves as the leper who gathered whatever courage left in him to prostrate himself before Jesus. Lepers in the time of Jesus are deemed unclean, and they are not supposed to get near anyone.

        They were supposed to keep a safe distance from the people on the street. But this leper was different. He knew who Jesus was. He also knew that this was his last chance to be liberated from his misery.

         In the same way a person who is wallowing in sin is similar in many respects to a leper. Leprosy causes skin sores, nerve damage, and muscle weakness which if left untreated will get worse over time that may even cause death.

         Lepers in biblical times were treated as outcasts of society, and they were not only shunned but regarded as “already dead” even by their relatives. The Jewish law forbade anyone from touching or approaching a leper and those who do will have to go through a ritual to cleanse them of having been defiled.

         As medical attention was not available at that time, people with leprosy will find themselves disfigured by the disease and there were instances when the entire appearance of the face will change until the leper loses his human appearance.

         This is what also happens to a person who is mired in sin because sin disfigures the godly nature of a person. I recall one of the reflections of the late Pope Benedict XVI wherein he said: “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺.”        

         The Holy Father recalls that in the time of Christ, leprosy was considered a “contagious impurity, which required a rite of purification. In truth the leprosy that truly disfigures the person and society is sin; pride and egotism give birth in the spirit to indifference, hate and violence. Only God, who is Love, can cure this leprosy of the spirit, which disfigures the face of humanity. Upon opening the heart to God, the converted person is healed interiorly of evil.”

         This Gospel passage should remind us that as with the leper who knelt before Jesus, we too who have fallen short of the glory of God because of our sin must set aside our fears, doubts and most of all our pride to go and kneel before Jesus especially when our lives are not turning the way we expect or as they say when the chips are down because Jesus is the one person who will not turn his back on those who are in need.

         This was what this Gospel is all about and this brings us to the other scenario. As the people in the time of Jesus turned their backs on those they regarded as outcasts such as those afflicted with leprosy, Jesus showed what compassion was when he touched the leper who came to him and asked to be made clean.

         What was remarkable in this passage was that the leper came to Jesus and with humility and confidence asked the Lord to heal him and make him whole again. Normally a leper would be stoned or at least driven away if he tried to come near a Rabbi, but Jesus not only grants the man his request, but he also demonstrated the personal love, compassion, and tenderness of God in his physical touch.

         This is also how Jesus looks at us. Our Lord Jesus is more than ready to heal us and deliver us from fear, prejudice, and anxiety that may be keeping us from approaching others with selfless love and concern for their welfare.

         I lived a sinful life in the past. I was living in the fast lane, and I couldn’t care less who gets in my way. But there is an end to everything and in 1989 I was brought to the renewal movement where I came face to face with God.

        And it was here that I was confronted with the reality that though I was not suffering from leprosy in the physical sense, my situation was like the leper as I also bore the pain of spiritual disfigurement and separation from God because sin blocked the flow of grace into my life as I already didn’t know right from wrong.

         St. Paul also tells us that: "𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬" (𝐑𝐨𝐦 𝟓:𝟓). The Holy Spirit sets us free from our pride that allows us to love as God loves – with mercy, kindness, goodness, and compassionate care.

         This passage should lead us to look into our lives and see how we treat our neighbors, especially those whom society has rejected, mistreated, and or left to their own miseries. Do we approach them with the same love and compassion that Christ did in this passage? How have we been living our lives? Do we persist in sinning emboldened by the idea that God is a forgiving God? And not helping those in need is a sin.

         What leprosy does to the body; sin does to the soul because sin disfigures the image of God in us. Without the forgiveness of God, sin will sink us deeper into slavery until “𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬” (𝐑𝐨𝐦 𝟕:𝟏𝟖). Worst, our sin “𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐝” (𝐈𝐬𝐚 𝟓𝟗:𝟐). And this separation from the source of joy and peace will eventually lead us to death “𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡” (𝐑𝐨𝐦 𝟔:𝟐𝟑).        

         What we can do is we should all draw inspiration from what the leper did as he went to Jesus in humble reverence, kneeling and saying “𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧” (𝐯.𝟒𝟎) and Jesus filled with compassion touched the leper saying “𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧” (𝐯.𝟒𝟏).        

         Though we may not be suffering from leprosy in the physical sense, we will find ourselves in the same situation as the leper as we bear the pain of spiritual disfigurement and our separation from God and the Church because sin blocks the flow of grace into our lives.

         But the real value of a person is not what people see but what God sees. In other words, God will not give up on us regardless of the sin that we have committed because even if sin may have disfigured, distorted and or have deformed the image of God in us (𝐆𝐞𝐧 𝟏:𝟐𝟔), God will restore us into the fullness of his love and St. Paul assures us: “𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.” (𝐑𝐨𝐦 𝟔:𝟒).        

        Regardless of what sin may have done to our nature, God who is compassionate will forgive us as only he can but this is contingent on our desire to be touched by Jesus This assurance is in this Gospel itself as we see Jesus who was “𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧” (𝐯.𝟒𝟏) reaching out to the man and touched him.

         What this Gospel shows us is that Jesus will not turn away anyone regardless of how sinful they may be for as long as the element of humility and reverence are present. This Gospel passage should serve as a reminder for all of us that without Christ we will remain in the same wretched state we were in before Christ came and touched us as he did with the leper. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘑𝘢𝘯. 15, 2026)