I am willing; be cleansed

 

 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 

 

 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

 

- Matthew 7:28-8:4 

 

In our recent readings, the lectionary has led us through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  Yesterday we read Christ's final "sayings" in this Sermon.  He taught, "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'  Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rains descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."  

 

 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.   Authority will be a great and grave subject that comes up repeatedly in the ministry of Jesus Christ.  One having authority indicates a person having authority in themselves, rather than quoting famous rabbis or other teachers, as did the scribes.  He is neither a Levitical priest nor a member of a ruling family, nor is He a Pharisee.  Throughout the Gospel, it is important to remember that Jesus comes from humble beginnings, and His knowledge and learning is astonishing in this context, in addition to the authority with which He speaks.

 

  When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  My study Bible comments that the biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13; 14.   In Deuteronomy 24:8 we find the command regarding the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty entrusted to the priests.  My study Bible explains that leprosy was considered to be a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), but nevertheless Jesus touched the leper; this shows His compassion, and also that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  My study Bible further comments that to the clean, nothing is unclean (see Romans 14:14; Titus 1:15).  

 

Jesus' healing of this leper immediately following the Sermon on the Mount gives us an important illustration of His Gospel.  First of all, there is a transformation of understanding the laws about leprosy.  Let us note that Jesus is still very careful to observe the Law in telling the healed leper to show himself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded.  As He has said in the Sermon on the Mount, He has come to fulfill, and not to destroy, the Law and the Prophets.  But importantly, this works also as a testimony to them.  Moreover, Christ makes the distinction that His gospel is meant to heal; the whole purpose of all that He does and all that He has come into the world to be and to do is to offer us healing, which is the true essence of salvation.  All of His medicine for the world, including His Body and Blood of the Eucharist, is meant as medicine, healing us from what ails the world.  In this there is not, therefore, "clean" and "unclean" but only that which needs healing, rectifying, purifying through His Incarnation.  Jesus Himself will "become sin" for us, dying on the Cross as one despised and cast out of community (2 Corinthians 5:21).  But as in His Incarnation, Christ meets even the greatest suffering, shame, and abominations of this world with His divinity and humanity combined, He is healing of all of it.  Whatever He touches, indeed, becomes healed, even destroying death by experiencing human death.  The mystery of this transforming paradox is put this way by St. Paul:  "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:13).  The teaching of St. Gregory of Nazianzinus, so central to Christianity, tells us regarding the Incarnation, "That which is not assumed is not healed."  He continues, "That which is united to God, that will be saved.  If half of Adam fell, also half will be taken up and saved.  But if all [of Adam], all of his nature will be united [to God], and all of it will be saved" (Letter 101 to Cledonius).  Jesus' touch teaches us that all that He has come into the world to do is to heal whatever He finds, whatever is broken, in need of redemption or restoration.  As His own life became subject to the worst the world (and the evil of the world) had to offer, so He had touched all parts of human life and experience, and He offers through this depth of "touch" the healing to all of us, no matter our own darkness or shame.  But just as the healed leper was told to show himself to the priest, so we must come to Christ with all that we are for His healing and His "touch."  For this we are given even His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, so that we may unite to Him in this touch, as St. Nazianzinus teaches.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have seen strange things today!

 

Byzantine fresco, Platytera Ton Ouranon, "More spacious than the heavens," 14th cent.  St. Demetrius Church, Patriarchate of Pec, Serbia

 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.  However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"

 

- Luke 5:12-26 

 

 Yesterday we read that, so it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that Jesus stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.  Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land.  And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.  When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."  And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.  So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.  And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.  And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid.  From now on you will catch men."  So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

 

  And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  My study Bible explains that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of Jesus' time.  It brought great physical suffering, as well as total banishment and isolation from society.  So, the person would be cast out from community.  It is also a symbol of our sin.

Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."   The priests were in charge of the care of lepers and leprous houses, including issuing a certificate of cleansing, so that the people could again participate in community (see Leviticus 13, 14).  My study Bible cites St. Cyril of Alexandria, who comments that Jesus gave the command to show yourself to the priest in order to convince the priests by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses.  The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, yet Christ heals a leper immediately and with His own divine authority.  However, when Miriam was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and still she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  

However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  Let us note that even Christ needs regular time for withdrawal in solitude in order to pray.

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.   Here the text introduces us to members of the ruling establishment of the Jews, and they have come from all over Israel.  They will be witness to what happens, and are no doubt present to observe the ministry of Jesus, which by now is well-known.

 

 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."   And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"  My study Bible comments that, as shown by the healing of the paralytic, faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  Faith is collective as well as personal, for, as we can see, the faith of the paralytic's friends helped in his healing.  There are there signs of Christ's divinity that are manifest here.  First, that He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30).  Second, Christ forgives sins, which is a power that belongs to God alone.  Finally, Jesus heals by the power of His word.

It's quite interesting to begin to observe the responses of the scribes and Pharisees to Christ.  The good news of forgiveness is met with indignance.  "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  Well, I suppose it is a reasonable theological objection, although by now everyone must be aware that Christ is no ordinary Man.  But Jesus Himself responds to this criticism seemingly as if He understands how it seems reasonable to them, and within their own "bailiwick" of regulating the faith and training and instructing the people.  So He responds with a deeper challenge, plunging right into His own way of responding with the truth.  "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  We can simply imagine the response of the religious leaders.  One imagines they were simply stupefied and unprepared for what they saw, possibly responding with the rest of the people, "We have seen strange things today!"  That word that is translated as "strange" (in strange things) is παράδοξος/paradoxos in Greek.  And yes, that is the root of the word we use in English, "paradox."  In Greek the form is plural, as in strange or remarkable things, but "strange" and "remarkable" don't quite get the full impact of paradox.  What they've seen are things that are totally unexpected and out of the ordinary, as if right smack into the middle of normal life is something so inexplicable as to be seemingly contrary to all we think we know.  That's what it's like to witness one of the miracles or signs of Christ.  And the word is significant, because for the early Christian Church, there was nothing which so defined the divine, and especially the workings of the Trinity, especially the signs of God working among us, as paradox.  In the Eastern Church, hymns are filled with paradoxical images in order to open to us the things of God.  One of the names for the Virgin Mary, for example, is Platytera.   It is the name of a particular icon as well.  It means "wider" or "more spacious."  But because she held the Creator of the Universe in her womb, she is called Platytera ton ouranon, meaning "More spacious than the heavens."  The ultimate paradox, of course, is Crucifixion and Resurrection.  They are inseparable enough so that the Cross means for us Resurrection, and all that this entails, including the banishing of the evil one.  The Eastern Orthodox hymn in the Resurrection service of Easter declares, "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, granting life to those in the tombs."   How can we understand this in purely human terms or from worldly expectation?  We can't.  And yet it is true, by dying on the Cross, He trampled death ("the last enemy" - 1 Corinthians 15:26).  And this is not so only for those who would come, but for those "in the tombs" awaiting their own liberation.  What we see on the Cross, which looks like horrific shameful defeat in human terms, is truly the greatest victory of all over the most lethal weapons of the enemy and accuser.  So powerful is the notion of paradox, and so central to our faith it is, that this is the way the early Church found to express the deepest wonders of God, and to open up to us what is ultimately unknowable in its fullness.  But that is precisely what Christ has brought to us -- the strange, unexpected, paradoxical reality we cannot just blink away or rationalize in some odd kind of "reasonable" explanation.  In Shakespeare's "Hamlet," Hamlet is told by his father's ghost of the treachery of his mother and uncle.  His friend from the University of Wittenberg (which was known for the shift from theology to humanism), Horatio, responds with words which might be taken right out of our text, calling this encounter "wondrous strange."  Hamlet responds, "And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."  Paradox is the one way to describe the surprising work of God, even in our midst, which surpasses our expectations and defies all categories and limitations.  For just as Christ is both God and man (another extraordinary paradox), so even we carry the kingdom of heaven within us and among us (Luke 17:20-21).

 

 

 

 

I am willing; be cleansed

 

 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

 

- Matthew 7:28-8:4 

 

In yesterday's reading, we read Jesus' final word in the Sermon on the Mount.  He taught, "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'  Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."   

 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  The scribes would teach by citing the sayings of a famous rabbi or other teacher.  But Christ teaches with authority in Himself, as Son.  These sayings refer to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  

 

 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  The biblical law regarding leprosy is found in Leviticus 13 and 14.  Deuteronomy 24:8 describes the purification of lepers and of leprous houses, a duty which was entrusted to the priests.  My study Bible comments that leprosy was considered to be direct punishment for sins.  As lepers were considered unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21).  But Jesus touched the leper, showing at once His compassion, and also that He is not subject to the Law but over it. My study Bible remarks that to the clean, nothing is unclean (Romans 14:14).   

Jesus tell the healed leper:  "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  We have just read that the people were astonished at Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, because He taught not as the scribes did, but with authority, as if He had authority, when He bears no "earthly" authority in terms of the religious establishment.  In the healing of the leper, there is a subtlety to this command.  He commands the leper not to speak to others about what He has done, that Christ has healed him; and yet, in going to the priest and offering the gift Moses commanded by following the Law, this will be a testimony to the priest (and to the religious authorities) regarding Jesus and Jesus' divine authority, made manifest in this healing.  Christ follows the way of all righteousness (Matthew 3:15) in His ministry, thus fulfilling both the Law and the Prophesy regarding Himself.  In this prophetic sense, also, is the testimony made to the priests regarding this miraculous healing.  My study Bible cites the commentary on a similar incident in Luke by St. Cyril of Alexandria (Luke 5:14), that the priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ (the Messiah), but Christ heals a leper immediately and with His own divine authority.  When Miriam, the sister of Moses, was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and Miriam was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  Jesus actively engages in His ministry, and yet for these extraordinary miracles He does not seek publicity.  Rather, what He asks of people who've been healed is righteousness.  In this case, that means following the obligations of the Mosaic Law.  But in so doing, the healed will also offer testimony to the religious establishment regarding Jesus.  It is a "fitting and right" way in which Jesus expresses His divine authority in the world, and He teaches us to also do what is "fitting and right."  We don't need to go around making extraordinary claims about ourselves when we do something good, but we do need to put God first and follow the righteous way of life that God would teach us to do.  This involves humility, which we can observe in Jesus as a kind of strength under control.  He does something so magnificent as to be extraordinary, unheard of, and heals a leper.  But it's not just His extraordinary healing power on display; it is also the compassion that goes with it.  It is Christ's willingness to open up barriers in order to express that compassion that is also on display here.  He does not touch the leper simply to break a taboo regarding what is considered unclean, but in order to heal, and we understand Jesus to be expressing His compassion by doing so.  So, we can understand that righteousness must include compassion as one of its components, as a way to live that imitates God and shows our own capacity for "God-likeness" (Genesis 1:26).  We can look around ourselves and see a great tendency (always with us) for good deeds to be trumpeted right and left -- for virtuous actions to be heralded by individuals who often seek to shame others in so promoting their own appearance of righteousness.  Be that as it may, when we look to Christ we see these two components that accompany His divine authority and power:  He is both humble and compassionate, and these are two components of His righteousness.  How often can we observe that a publicly proclaimed righteousness is accompanied by both humility and compassion?  Nonetheless, this is the righteousness that Christ teaches to us, and this is the righteousness that He asks us to imitate.  These are the good elements that grace brings to our world; when we lose them, we lose the gifts of Christ.  Let us, also, make our own testimony to the good gifts of Christ by the living the righteousness of humility and compassion He shows us.