I Do Choose

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany 

February 1, 2022

I Do Choose

“Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do choose. Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him.

Luke 5:12b-13 (NRSV)

Read: Luke 5:12-16

For almost two years in this pandemic, we have been encouraged, sometimes ordered, to wear masks, to wash our hands frequently, and to use hand sanitizer often. This would have made perfect sense to the Jews in first-century Israel. Their religious laws stressed purity and if someone was deemed ‘unclean,’ they were required to keep separated from others less they contaminate them. In today’s reading, such a circumstance is depicted, and two unthinkable actions took place.

First, “a man with an advanced case of leprosy” approached Jesus. (v.12) Unacceptable. Secondly, “Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him.” (v.13) Totally unacceptable. Well, unacceptable for a mortal, not so for one who is very God of very God.

Jesus’ action is the first thing that struck me in today’s reading. Jesus has no problem getting his hands dirty. He comes down to the exact point of our need. Jesus was not repulsed by the man’s advanced case of leprosy, and Jesus is not repulsed by my brokenness, sin, or dysfunction. Jesus comes to me where I am, as I am, so that he can heal me.

My Takeaway: The second thing that struck me is the ending of today’s passage: “But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.” (v.16) If the one who is very God of very God often withdrew to solitude for prayer, and if I truly desire to make the life in Christ my way of life, how much more do I need this discipline of prayer.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.