Choosing to Think Positively: Mark 1: 40-45

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:01:03 -0500

“And Jesus having compassion on him, stretched forth his hand; and touching him, saith to him: I will. Be thou made clean.”

In the thinking of Jesus’ time, health and holiness went hand in hand: sickness was due to sin and leprosy was the chastisement for grievous sin. The very term for leprosy, tsaraat, meant someone was “stricken” or “defiled.”

In reality, the seeming affliction could be a simple case of eczema, psoriasis, small pox, syphilis or true leprosy; but in any event, the individual had to go to a priest to have the lesions inspected. If the priest had doubts, the person would be isolated for 14 days to allow the condition to either clear up or worsen. At that point, the patient was ritually purified and declared clean, or unclean and expelled from the community.

The life of a leper was grim. For example, Leviticus 13: 45-48 says:

“And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and the hair of his head shall go loose, and he shall cover his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague is in him he shall be unclean; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his dwelling be.”

Lepers were considered the living dead. As their disease progressed, their faces and limbs became disfigured and they lost any feeling in their extremities. But, their inner pain at being isolated from family and friends, and their sense of being cut off from God, must have been unbearable.

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus encountered a leper who had somehow managed to remain optimistic. He refused to accept the way he had been branded by the authorities. He expected to be cured of his terrible affliction.

Amazed at the man’s faith, Jesus did the unthinkable. He reached out His hand - - touched the unclean man - - and healed him. Christ can do the same for us.

If the opinions of others have somehow scarred us, we don’t have to accept those negative opinions. Jesus healing touch can change us for the better - - just as it changed the leper. But, like the leper, we must start by thinking positively.

• The leper had no choice in how he looked physically. But we do have a choice. The wrinkles and laugh lines in our faces reveal our inner spirit. Whether we choose to be cheerful or angry, better or bitter, sweet or sour, our faces mirror our feelings and our eyes reflect our souls. We have to act the part if we want the part.

• The leper had no choice in how he felt. But we do. When we choose to feel grateful, optimistic and kindly toward others, we actually feel better about ourselves.

• The leper had no choice in how he greeted people. He had to say he was, “Unclean.” But we do have a choice. We can spread the Good News or we can spread bad news. We can speak positively or negatively. We can be an optimist or a pessimist, a blessing or a burden.

The leper had no choice but to avoid contact with others. But we do have a choice. And the first person to contact is Jesus. His healing touch can remove any negative thoughts that might afflict us.

Power of Optimism

Choosing to Think Positively: Mark 1: 40-45