Lepers

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I will do it. Be made clean.” His leprosy was cleansed immediately. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” (Matthew 8:1-4)

Does Jesus make us clean?  What does being clean really mean?  Do we have to be lepers to be made clean?  What is a leper?  A leper is a person who is avoided or rejected by others for moral or social reasons.  

If we are not clean, then we are a leper by this definition.  For this reason, we must be careful about our use of social media.  We can create lepers when we falsely accuse or defame other people on the web.  Too many people use this media to lash out and punish those we don’t even know.  We jump on the bandwagon to hurt someone for an assumed affront.  

Social media can be a playground for the demons to which we listen, including those within us.  Through this immoral activity we can become leprous ourselves.

Jesus makes us clean when we listen to him and hear our better angels.

Deacon David Pierce