Leviticus 13 goes into great detail outlining the various skin diseases and lesions which would make a person unclean. As with most of the purity codes in Leviticus, leprosy was a disorder that made a person an outcast physically, socially and religiously. When we say leprosy, we are typically referring to Hansen’s disease, which includes symptoms of open sores, disfigured extremities, loss of feeling and even paralysis.
In Jesus’ day, leprosy could refer to any number of skin disorders, even those that could appear and disappear in a few days. Whether or not the man suffered from Hansen’s disease, or a minor skin irritation as outlined in Leviticus 13, is not central to the interpretation of the passage. If the man was in full obedience of Leviticus purity laws, he would have been confined to living outside of the community and tasked with avoiding all physical contact (Lev. 13:45). What’s interesting about the leper in Mark is that he appears to be defying these restrictions and boldly petitions Jesus to be healed. However, Leviticus clearly instructs those suffering with leprosy to visit the priest in order to be properly declared clean or unclean. Perhaps the leper views Jesus as serving in the role of a priest, but with the ability to not simply declare him clean but make him clean (v. 40).
Upon hearing the request of the leper, Mark gives us insight to Jesus’ thoughts concerning the scene. Jesus is described as “filled with compassion”. Some variations of the text might be translated, “filled with anger”. This alternate reading is important to consider because it gives Jesus a sense of righteous indignation at the demeaning aspects of leprosy. Compassion and anger seem to be working together as Jesus is concerned for the man’s physical well-being and angry at the rejection he has experienced in the community.
Jesus acts in a surprising way. His righteousness causes him to draw near those in suffering and pain, while the righteousness of others encourages them to push away those who are “unclean”. In the process of healing the man, Jesus makes himself ritually unclean, but then he goes to the trouble of telling the healed leper to go to the temple to offer sacrifices as commanded by Moses (Leviticus 13). Jesus seems to have no concern for showing others that he is willing to go through the same process in order to be declared clean. In this passage, Jesus doesn’t simply relate or befriend those on the fringes of society. He becomes one of them, while also restoring the person to their rightful place in the community.
Mark concludes the account with details on the response of the cleansed leper. Instead of going to the priest and keeping his mouth shut, he begins to freely explain Jesus’ actions. Mark uses this to create tension in our minds about whether the man is being religiously rebellious or overflowing with joy, much like the tension created with Jesus’ compassion and anger. The final outcome is that news about Jesus spreads so quickly that he’s unable to stay in towns. Jesus is forced dwell in lonely places.
This last piece of information is not provided to simply further the narrative, nor is it to be considered as a throw away or transitional phrase. Instead, it’s part of the masterful storyteller at work. Jesus takes a leper, who was on the outside of society in “lonely places,” restores him to his community and, as a result, takes on the experience of the leper. Jesus is now no longer able to enter a town openly.
Mark’s tightly woven narrative creates tension, while also speaking to the nature of God, answering questions about Jesus’ identity. We are put in the position of deciding what this means. What kind of a tale are we being invited to join?
douglaskwilliams.com 