The Outcast – Read Matt 8:1-4
Contemplation
We are walking down the mountain. It has been a long day but the time has flown as we have listened to Jesus preach. As we come down, still the crowds are pushing and shoving, following this man who has filled their hearts with love and wisdom. Suddenly, a man throws himself on the path in front of Jesus. Scruffy and frightened, he is also very sick. The crowd shudders and pulls back, murmuring and hissing. He has a skin disease. People are afraid of it – and him. They worry they might catch it. This is why he and others with the disease live far away from everyone else. “If you want, you can help,” he says. “I could go back to home and family.” Jesus isn’t worried. He gently talks to the man and holds out his own hand to touch him. “Of course I want to. It’s gone now”. Amazed, the man feels all the hurts and sickness wash away, the skin becoming smooth and healthy. “Go on, don’t tell anyone what happened but show the priests that you are clean and can go back home.”
Talk to Jesus, the man who has been healed and the crowd. What do they say?
Who do I shut away from me and why?
Can Jesus heal us, bring our communities together?