Leaning in to Luke

 

 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.  Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”  Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.  Luke 5:12-16

There is such a humanity woven into this passage.  You have the passionate plea of a person who has suffered, struggled, and deep in his soul longs to be well.  You have Jesus’ willingness to embrace and enfold the one who was hurting (and considered untouchable because of the skin disease) with a tender hand laid upon this Son of God’s shoulder.  You have the gentleman being asked not to share, only to then Tweet out and post to social media a selfie with a before and after.  Insert Jesus shaking his head, muttering and mumbling, “You ask people to do one thing.  One simple thing!”  Then Jesus decided to get away to pray.

A couple of questions:

1.      Where does it hurt today?  Where is there pain that throbs physically or emotionally or spiritually or communally? 

2.      Where do you long for help and healing, long for a loving touch or to feel the brush of angel’s wings with the sacred stirring, supporting, strengthening you?

3.      What Good News of God’s grace can you not but help share?  Where has been that moment where hopelessness doesn’t seem like it has the last word over the last few days?

4.      Finally, do you find the space and place to pause, to breathe and be, to get away and pray?

The power of Scripture is not only for our minds, but our whole lives to encounter and experience.  The power of Scripture is not in these words you are reading from me, but when you let the words from Luke above be embraced and embodied and expressed in your life.  Let this passage read your life today, connect you to this bigger story of God’s love.

Go back to the four questions above, hold them, enter them, let your life respond and react to them.  Lean into Luke and sense the way Luke’s wisdom is seeking to be lived out in you.

And may God’s grace, peace, and love be with you now more than ever.  Amen.