Justice As Good News
Luke 5:12-14 NIV
While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, ‘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!’ And immediately the leprosy left him. Then Jesus ordered him, ‘Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.’
I love this story of Jesus healing the man with leprosy. And while this story should raise our expectation for supernatural healing - something we long to see more of at our church - it’s also an amazing example of Jesus living out the vision of justice we’ve been talking about this week.
In Luke 4, Jesus launches his ministry by quoting Isaiah 58 and 61 - it’s his mission statement: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor’ (Luke 4:18). In today’s passage, we immediately see him fulfill this statement - addressing three different types of poverty in one go. Now that’s ‘good news!’
Jesus doesn’t see the man’s poverty as either spiritual, social, or material, but all of the above. He treats him as a whole human-being and ministers to each part.
The man's spiritual needs are fulfilled by meeting Jesus, a direct revelation of who God is. He recognises Jesus as ‘Lord.’ But his material needs are also met through Jesus’ healing - his physical suffering is tended to, and circumstances are changed. And one step further - Jesus tells the man to go to the priests because they are the ones who can legally pronounce him clean. Doing this, would allow the man to re-enter society, completely changing his social and economic situation.
Being light and good news for the world around us looks a bit like that story. It’s making Jesus known - inviting people into relationship with him through evangelism and worship, but it’s also meeting the physical needs and transforming the circumstances of those whom our society leaves vulnerable. If Jesus did it then, he can do it again through us.
Prayer - Lord, we want to be light for our world. Help us see where we can do so by meeting the spiritual, material, and social needs around us. Lead us to those places.