Make Me Clean - by Elizabeth Reynolds

Over the last few weeks, I have been preparing a story to share at the weekly Kid's Club. This term's theme is "Meeting Jesus" and I chose to share the story of the man with leprosy who came to Jesus:

Matthew 8:1-4

When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

With the kids, I focused on the idea of what it was like in bible times to be considered 'unclean'. Not only were there many things that could make you 'unclean', but once you were considered unclean, you had to go through very thorough, specific cleansing rituals that the Lord had commanded (which are stated in the book of Leviticus). Now, many people look on those rules as God's way of helping His people stay healthy, but it's a lot more than that. It was actually God's way of protecting His people from His holiness when coming into His dwelling place – the Tent of Meeting (and later on, the Temple). Because, as we see in other areas of the Old Testament, God’s holy presence would cause a person to perish!

So God makes a way for us to be holy for His presence. Why? Because He wants to be with us! He has always made a way!

Leprous people were considered unclean. And if you came into contact with a leprous person, you would also become unclean, and the whole tiresome cleansing ritual would have to take place. So of course, people with leprosy would be segregated. Away from people, away from community. No one would touch them. No one would come near them.

Until of course, this man came and met Jesus. And Jesus touches this man! Imagine all the people watching. NOBODY touches a leper! Did Jesus just make Himself unclean? No! The man did not pass his uncleanness onto Jesus. In a faith-induced, miracle act, Jesus passed His ‘cleanness’ onto the man instead! He does tell the man to then do the cleansing rituals as written, but the scripture tells us that immediately, this man was made clean in that very moment.

We must realise our ‘unholiness’ cannot come into the presence of God. But He makes a way! Through Jesus, He reaches out to us, touches us – makes physical contact with our uncleanness, and He ‘transfers’ His cleanness, His holiness to us!

We can now come, in the proper state, into His presence. Praise the Lord!