NOTES:
1] Biblical leprosy (LEV 13 & 14) may have been psoriasis. 2] For this exercise, let's give our 'leper' a name, 'Reuben'. 3] Reuben breaches the Levitical law by approaching Jesus. 3] In v.41, the probable original text has Jesus angry (that Reuben is in this state) rather than compassionate. 4] In v.43 Jesus literally 'snorts' at Reuben, then sends him away with the same word MK uses of the Spirit 'throwing Jesus out' into the desert to be tested. No 'gentle Jesus meek & mild' here!

WARMING UP: How do we feel when we're excluded from the company of people important to us?

TREASURES OLD & NEW: Identify God at work in anything this week?

ENTERING INTO THE STORY:

40-41    What kind of situation would be serious enough to make us break the any / some law (as Reuben does here)? Aren't Christians supposed to uphold the law, come what may? When we pray for healing (or anything else) do we ever throw in a big 'if' as Reuben does here? If we do punctuate our prayers with 'if's, is it more likely to be about God's willingness / ability / power / our own doubts / our unworthiness (or someone else's) / some other reason?
              Do we regard any kinds of people as 'unclean' today..e.g. people disfigured in some way, those of different sexual orientation, AIDS sufferers, addicts,....? Does any 'category' of people make us feel uncomfortable? If so, how close can we bear to let them come? Do any of them make us angry rather than compassionate?
              Are there some things we ought to be getting angry about because they devalue people, & we, like Jesus, are compassionate?

42-44     How do we feel about 'instantaneous' healings today? Is it actually experiencing one that makes the difference between belief & disbelief? In today's world of instantaneous gratification, why wouldn't we expect instantaneous healing to be top of the pops? Why isn't it so?
              If Jesus doesn't like the way Reuben & other lepers are treated (he has a soft spot for them!) how come he still insists, here & elsewhere, that when they are healed they observe the law by submitting themselves to examination by the priests who administer the very system that devalues & excludes them? Can we see a sound reason, or is Jesus simply facing the fact of 'that's the way it is'? If we see Jesus as someone keen to improve the quality of life for 'little' people, are we, his friends & followers, as keen to do the same?
              How do we sort out which laws, biblical, church, or any other, provide us with necessary structure for our lives, as distinct from any that are in place just to keep us under control? Whose control? Can the church be seen as just another kind of 'control mechanism' as some seem to think? If we had it in our power to make laws that marginalise people, would we?

45     Given Reuben's enthusiasm for Jesus & what he's done for him is infectious, what enthusiasm do we show for Jesus & what he's done for us? What might we need to do to experience & demonstrate Reuben's kind of enthusiasm?