How I wish!

Jesus’ ministry included reaching out to the unreached and those at the margins. Take the case of the leper in St. Luke 5:12-16. Lepers in those times did not have free movement and close interaction with others. Yet, the person is in close quarters with Jesus. This means that it is not that the person went to Jesus but Jesus perhaps went for ministry in places far from the popular and big towns and villages. This could have been due to the massive crowds too. The leper who would have otherwise been at the margins, gets into close interaction with Jesus because of Jesus’ proximity to the leper’s living space or because no one cared anymore about who was a leper and who was not because of the huge crowds that followed Jesus.

In verse 12 the leper says, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” Stigma i
s one of the biggest curses of society. The stigma of something or the other puts people down and prevents them from coming out in the open. In this case it was the stigma faced due to leprosy. Whether it was leprosy in total or a serous skin ailment is another thing all together. But the person had definitely experienced stigma. Why or how then does he manage to get close to Jesus and ask what he did?

Did the faith in Jesus give strength to the person to overcome stigma or didn’t he care anymore? He either succeeded or he just had to continue living the life he had. There was nothing to lose. He chooses to engage in a conversation with Jesus. The conversation becomes a request. Interestingly, the request is not cure me or help me but “if you choose”. Is this the sign which tells us that the person was talking about the stigma he faced, the exclusion he experienced and the pain he underwent. So he tells Jesus, “…if you choose”. His existence thus far was not just because he had leprosy but because people and society chose to keep him away. Jesus is asked whether he would like to do something else.

During lent, one thing becomes clear. Society is not going to change and neither are people. No one is necessarily going to choose good over evil or justice over injustice. It is our fight. Jesus is willing to say yes and touch and accept us. But we have to break through the hurdles and lunge forward to Jesus. We have to ask him to support us and stand for us. Lent is not going to change stigma and exclusion in society. But lent can get us the support of the one who matters, Christ Jesus himself. Let us garner the courage to ask him and to lobby him into saying “Yes I choose/wish..” Amen.