6th Sunday, Leviticus 13:1-2,44-46; Ps 32:1-2,5,11; 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1; Mark 1:40-45
‘If you want to’ he said ‘you can cure me.’ Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. ‘Of course, I want to!’
A captivating dialogue, “If you want to”. A request? Yes, but probably also more a confession of faith. You can. You can do anything. But I don’t know if you want to. For you might not want to, you have the right to not want to, and I have no right to criticise you.
And that answer, “I want to”. Yes, I can. I can do anything. I want to help you, because I feel pity for you; I have no desire to see human suffering. Quite the opposite.
The faith of the man with leprosy teaches me: confidence, that what God ordains will be good for me. Of course, I have the right to ask. I can shout at God, scream that it hurts and plead to be rescued from the depth of suffering. But I also know that God has the right to do what He deems to be proper. After all, suffering is not re-payment for my sins. He is not heartless. And He has no taste for anyone’s suffering . . . but greatest desire for my salvation.