Seeing Jesus

“I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself this is hungry Jesus. I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has Leprosy or Gangrene. I must wash him, and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.” (Mother Teresa)

Leprosy has terrified humanity since ancient times, and was reported as early as 600 BC in India, China, and Egypt. Every two minutes someone is diagnosed with Leprosy. Today six hundred  people will be diagnosed with Leprosy ( more than fifty of these will be children).. The term Leprosy occurs sixty-eight times in the Bible (fifty-five times in the Old Testament and thirteen times in the New Testament).

Early signs of this disease include spots on the skin that may be slightly red, darker or lighter than normal skin. The spots may also become numb and have lost hair. Often they appear on the arms, legs or back. Sometimes the only sign may be numbness in a finger or toe.

If left untreated, hands can become numb and small muscles are paralyzed, which lead to curling of the fingers and thumb. When Leprosy attacks nerves in the legs, it interrupts sensations in the feet. The feet can then be damaged by untended wounds and infection. If the facial nerve is affected, a person loses the blinking reflex of the eye.

This can eventually lead to dryness, ulceration and blindness. Bacteria entering the mucous lining of the nose can lead to internal damage and scarring. In time, causes the nose to collapse. Untreated, Leprosy can cause deformity, and crippling. [i] As a biblical example of the above, read the story of Luke 17:11-19 (TPT) below:

Jesus traveled on toward Jerusalem and passed through the border region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one village, ten men approached him, but they kept their distance, for they were lepers. They shouted to him, “Mighty Lord, our wonderful Master. Won’t you have mercy on us and heal us?”

When Jesus stopped to look at them, he spoke these words: “Go to be examined by the Jewish priests.”

They set off, and they were healed while walking along the way. One of them, a foreigner from Samaria, when he discovered that he was completely healed, turned back to find Jesus, shouting out joyous praises and glorifying God. When he found Jesus, he fell down at his feet and thanked him over and over, saying to him, “You are the Messiah.” This man was a Samaritan.

“So where are the other nine?” Jesus asked. “Weren’t there ten who were healed?  They all refused to return to give thanks and give glory to God except you, a foreigner from Samaria?”

Then Jesus said to the healed man lying at his feet, “Arise and go. It was your faith that brought you salvation and healing.”

 

The above story has four needed lessons we can all learn from:[ii]

1.     Go out of your way to do the right thing.

2.     Have compassion on those that need your help.

3.     We must trust Jesus to always do for us exactly what we need the most.

4.   When someone goes out of their way to bless you, thank them.[iii]

 “Hansen’s disease that’s the other modern name ( I guess) for Leprosy. Hansen’s disease was so rare in the America that in 40 years only 900 people were afflicted. Suddenly, in the past three years, America has more than 7,000 cases of leprosy.” (Lou Dobbs)[iv]

---

[i] Fingers and toes do not fall off when someone gets Leprosy. The bacteria attack nerve endings and destroy the body’s ability to feel pain and injury. Without feeling pain, people injure themselves, and the injuries can become infected resulting in tissue loss. Fingers and toes become shortened and deformed as the cartilage is absorbed into the body.

 

[ii] Inspired by the sermon “The Come Back of the Year” Sunday, November 26, 2017 Pastor Dave Jansen CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH.

 

[iii] Sources used:

·         “Biblical Leprosy: Shedding Light on the Disease that Shuns” by Dr. Alan Gillen

·        “Biblical Leprosy” by Dr Jeanie Cochrane Oldman 

·        “Leprosy Frequently Asked Questions” by American Leprosy Missions

·     “Lessons from the 10 lepers” by John W. Martens

·        https://www.lepra.org.uk/lepra-and-leprosy?gclid=Cj0KCQiA6enQBRDUARIsAGs1YQjYWYO4vfhqlfoDarmC7O6pM5Z--ryjSlqvmmf6N2m5Ulc54LfscRoaAuMBEALw_wcB

 

[iv] The medical name for leprosy is Hansen’s disease. Norwegian doctor Armauer Hansen was the first to view the bacillus under a microscope in 1873.  Using the word leper today is considered an offense to the hundreds of thousands affected by this disease. The terms “person affected by leprosy” or “person affected by Hansen’s disease” are used instead.