Unclean!

Unclean!

A Lesson in Compassion

It was a word no one wanted to hear.

We were making good time and were within a day of arrival in Bethlehem for the census when our entire entourage was thrown into turmoil by shouts of "Unclean! Unclean!" We had come upon a colony of lepers.

They approached us cautiously, crying out the warning mandated in the Book of Leviticus. By law, lepers are unclean and are required to declare it so everyone can keep their distance from them. There was shouting and confusion in our group, as no one was sure exactly how close they might try to come to us. Many froze in terror while others quickened their pace and moved on rapidly to avoid an ugly and possibly dangerous confrontation.

Leprosy is the worst tragedy that can touch any man, woman or child. It is incurable, marking its victims with indelible scars and disfigurement. No one knows for sure what causes it but some Pharisees are convinced it is the result of a sinful life, either by the afflicted or his parents.

The figures that appeared before us were pathetic effigies of once-human forms. Raggedly dressed, terribly disfigured, some were missing fingers or toes, others were walking on bloody stumps, their feet lacerated by injuries they could not feel due to the numbing effects of the malady.

Most people turned away in disgust but some of the older boys pelted the hopeless figures with stones and small rocks, while yelling at them to stay away. Some sent their dogs after them. But even the dogs were horrified by what they saw and smelled, halting their approach at a safe distance, while growling and snarling with bared teeth.

The lepers continued to approach, slowly, their scrawny arms outstretched, begging for food or alms. I doubted they could actually buy anything if we gave them money, since they were not allowed in any shops or inns. They survived as best they could in caves or thickets.

As they came closer, crying out for assistance, some people started tossing scraps of leftover food before them. The lepers scooped it up ravenously, clutching cherished morsels in both hands and quickly turning to protect it from their fellow lepers and the dogs. It was the most heart-wrenching sight I had ever seen.

Averting my eyes from the gruesome scene, I looked around and discovered that I had been standing next to Joseph, who was keeping a firm grip on the leash of Mary's mule. I could see compassion in their eyes, and, contrary to most of our fellow travelers, I also felt pity for the poor and helpless victims of this horrible disease.

"I'm sorry that nothing can be done for them," Mary said, "That we are so powerless over such human misery." I found it remarkable that, even in her own fragile state, she could be so compassionate over the needs of others.

"If there was anything I could do, believe me, I would do it," Joseph added. "They have been condemned, wrenched from their homes and families, quarantined even at just a hint of the disease, and, if judged by the priest to be infected, permanently sentenced to a life of loneliness and despair."

"That is the worst part," Mary said. "The physical effects of leprosy are horrible, but the loneliness and isolation dictated by the Law are the most painful effects of the disease."

Mary was right. Lepers were confined to a life of isolation, their only contacts limited to fellow sufferers of the dreaded disease. Very few people were brave enough or generous enough to even approach and leave food or clothing for them.

I tried to imagine what it would be like to live among them. To be one of them. How would I cope with the isolation and hopelessness? What would it do to my mind? My body would be slowly destroyed by an incurable progressive disease. Initially I would feel the pain of the lesions and blisters, but eventually I would feel nothing as my sense of pain deteriorated. But the loneliness would still be there.

I have never felt true loneliness. And the thought of it frightens me. Yahweh declared that it is not right for man to live alone. He ordered us to increase and multiply and fill the earth. We are his creatures, and we should do as he says. He is our God, as he so often reminds us.

The thought of living by myself with the knowledge that no one cares if I live or die would shatter my mind. To never hear the voice of another human being; never feel the touch of a loved one, to have no one to turn to in distress, no one with whom to share my thoughts and anxieties, hopes and dreams, that is the true tragedy of this illness. It is the tragedy of mankind.

"Leprosy isn't the cause of loneliness," Mary said, breaking into my dismal daydream. "Rejection is. People are self-centered and anxious. Few think beyond their own needs and desires. As long as they are satisfied they feel all is well in the world. The starving, the poor, the lepers, they are ignored, wished out of existence.

"We turn away from these lepers because we don't want to see their pain and loneliness, lest it infect us too. But it is still there. They are still there. They do not cease to exist because we don't see them. We cannot close our eyes and change the world."

Joseph nodded his agreement. Mary continued to amaze me with her maturity and presence. With three pairs of misty eyes, we moved on. Bethlehem was just hours away and it was getting dark.

Later that night, I considered the plight of the lepers. We look at them with pity, but are we, even though we are free of pain and misery, really any better than they are in the eyes of God? They are still his children, just as we are, and he loves and cares for them in his own inscrutable way.

They have been struck with an incurable malady and are coping as best they can. I lead a coddled life. I know no real pain or discomfort, yet I still suffer from my anxieties and occasional disappointments in life. What would happen if I ever faced real adversity like they do? How would I cope?

I don't know.

(NOTE: This is the fifth in a series of on-the-scene vignettes leading up to the miracle of Christmas. It is adapted from my book The Jesus Diary, which is available on Amazon, Walmart.com, and other online retailers as well as directly from the publisher at Xulonpress.com)