May 24, 2020
As Jesus travelled through Galilee, a man came to him with a skin disease called leprosy (Gr. lepra, ‘scaliness, to peel, flake’). Leprosy was a bacterial infection producing skin lesions and nerve damage which, over time, created disfigurement. Leprosy was the most feared condition in the ancient world as it had no cure and was a death sentence. The results of sin are tragic (Gen. 2:17)! Because of its ease of transmission, diseased people were to self-quarantine. The Old Testament law stated diseased people dress in torn clothes, cover their mouths with a cloth, call out ‘unclean’ while staying six feet from people in public, and live by themselves (Lev. 13:45, 46). Only two people were ever healed of leprosy; Moses’ sister Miriam and Naaman by the prophet Elisha 800 years before Jesus (Num. 12:10-13; 2 Kings 5:13-15). Leprosy is a one-way street to death!