It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was;
and when he saw Jesus,
he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
And the leprosy left him immediately.
(Lk 5:12-16)
Touching lepers got Jesus into trouble with everyone—not just with the Law of Moses and the religious authorities, but also with his own disciples. And now, two thousand years later, things haven’t changed one bit. Thanks to my mom, I celebrate a birthday today!
