During the period in which Jesus lived His earthly life, those with leprosy were greatly discriminated against. Jesus already sets a profound example for us when, after the leper pleads with Him to be made clean, Jesus does make him clean. Even though this man was very sick and seen as dangerous, Jesus had great compassion on him and cared for him anyways. One of the seven Corporal Works of Mercy, as we learn from Matthew 25:36, is caring for the sick. Jesus perfectly models what this looks like; even if society rejects a person, we are called to show them the love they deserve. Now, obviously, we do not have the ability to heal in the way that Christ does. However, we are still called to model Christ’s love and care even if the only thing we are able to do is simply be kind. Our actions can help others in the world see that all are deserving of love.
The leper himself is also someone we can look to to model our own behavior. Again, during this time, those with leprosy were greatly ostracized. However, this man did not let society’s opinion of him stop him from admitting he needed healing and seeking the Lord’s grace. It is often that we can internally acknowledge something to be wrong in our lives, and when we openly admit that to another, we can be judged for it. Others can make us feel like it isn’t a big deal, or they can even say, “just get over it” (or something related to this; I know that I have experienced this type of response from others on multiple occasions). Receiving this response can scare us out of seeking help from those who truly can help us, and it can even scare us out of running to God, as we might feel like He too will respond by saying our concerns are futile. That’s the thing about the leper in this Gospel, though; he did not let society’s opinion stop him from seeking God. And, despite society’s opinion, Christ still deeply cared for the man. This holds true for every worry we have in this life. The Lord just wants us to come to him. He is just waiting for you to ask for help, and when you do, He will draw near and comfort your heart in the most fulfilling way He knows to be best. In the healing of the leper, by fulfilling what Moses prescribed, Jesus shows Himself as wanting to guide us to God’s will in every circumstance; so, don’t be afraid to just ask Him for help.