Skip to main content

Unclean

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts, no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep (Matthew 10:8-10).

Scripture: Matthew 10:1-15

Song: “The Hurt & The Healer”

Kalaupapa, is Hawaii’s leprosy colony. Eight thousand people were sent into exile there over the course of a century. As of 2015, there were 16 patients still living there, ranging in age from 73 to 92.

Untreated, leprosy can cause permanent damage to the eyes and skin. Corruption of the nervous system will cause one to lose feeling, and patients can be oblivious to pain and therefore severely injure themselves unknowingly. Leprosy is a difficult, deforming sickness, working from the outside in. In ancient Israel, people with the disease were to walk around calling out, “unclean.”

Sin is like leprosy. Untreated, it can lead to permanent damage. It blinds us to God’s truth and makes us unfeeling, oblivious to our surroundings and the damage we cause ourselves and others. It de- forms us from the inside out. It makes us unclean. Thankfully, God provided Jesus as a remedy. He came to Earth, died for us and rose victoriously. When we make Him our Lord and Savior, God looks at us, through Him, as forgiven and clean.

Lord God, search my heart and show me what needs cleaning. Forgive me of my sins and wash me from the inside out. Thank You Jesus for making this possible. It’s in Your name I pray, Amen.

David C Cook Editorial

Author David C Cook Editorial

More posts by David C Cook Editorial