GOSPEL READING: MATTHEW 8:1-4
Great crowds followed him. I wonder about the reaction of the crowds on seeing Jesus talking to a leper. Jesus asked the leper to go and do as Moses prescribed. Probably this was to tell the people that Jesus was within the limits of Mosaic tradition. Crowds would have wondered about Jesus relating to leper and yet following the traditions of Moses.
A person with leprosy was considered impure in the Old Testament. He was forbidden to associate with the rest of the people. The people of Israel were called to be Holy as God the Father was Holy. Being holy also means being healthy (wholly). So unhealthy signs are signs of impurity and they have to be dissociated from the rest. Here Jesus associates with the leper to show that sickness does not in any way defile the person.
தொழுநோயாளர் தீட்டுப்படடவராக கருதப்பட்டார். அவர் மற்ற மக்களோடு உறவாட முடியாது ஏனென்றால் மற்றவர்கள் தூயவர்களாய் இருந்தார்கள். “தூய குருக்குலம்”. ஆனால் இயேசு நோயையும் மனிதனையும் இணைத்துப் பார்க்கவில்லை.
