COVID Salvation

 April 22, 2021

Words have meaning. Words also have power, so if the meaning can be changed, the power shifts, which is why so much political talk is all about subtly altering the meaning of words till they no longer convey what they mean, but what the speaker wants them to mean. But words are still important, which is why when reading Scripture, we pay attention to them.

In the 17th chapter of the Gospel that bears his name, Luke relates an incident involving ten lepers. Jesus was passing through the area when these men accosted him from a distance. Back then, leprosy wasn’t understood except for the fact that it was contagious, disfiguring, and resulted in social isolation. A person with leprosy was required to live in a separate place from the general population, and if someone got near, had to cover his mouth and nose and cry out, “Leper!” as a warning. 

Leprosy is now known as Hansen’s disease. Contrary to common understanding, it doesn’t rot the skin and make fingers and toes fall off. It affects the nerves, rendering them incapable of communicating pain, so someone with this affliction may pick up a hot pan that without them feeling anything, severely burns them. People with untreated Hansen’s disease injure themselves without realizing what is happening. In the days before modern medicines, the result would be infection and gangrene. 

In Luke’s story, Jesus encounters ten lepers, nine of whom were Jewish, and the tenth a Samaritan—a despised half-breed. They all called from the proper distance; their plea was simple: “Have mercy on us!” Instead of reaching out to touch them one by one, he merely told them to go and show themselves to the priests who were charged with the responsibility to determine if someone were able to re-enter society. This is where the story gets interesting. Luke says, “as they were going, they were cleansed.” Somewhere along the way, their skin was no longer blemished with oozing sores. They were, in the words of the text, “cleansed.” 

One of them realized that something significant had happened. Luke says “he saw that he was healed” (v. 15). This was more than a clearing up of the skin like what would happen if a medicinal creme were applied. Something had happened inside him, so he turned back to say thank you. 

Jesus’ response is classic. “Ten were healed. Where are the other nine?” He spoke to this one who had returned, “Get up and go your way; your faith has made you well.” This latter word is translated in the old versions as “whole.” It is the same word used for “salvation.” 

In this short narrative, three different words are used to describe the healing Jesus offered. They all were made clean, one was healed, and not only was his body made well, but he was made whole, ie. relationships interrupted by the rules of the day could now be restored, the parts of his life that had been shattered by this disease could be put back together, and life in its fullness was again possible.

In a world devastated not only by the disease of COVID, but by the mandated restrictions imposed by the powers of government, we are needing more than a superficial cleansing of the disease. We need inner healing, and we need our communities and families to be made whole once more. It’s not enough to “flatten the curve,” or to gain herd immunity. The division and isolation imposed upon us will continue to plague us unless we are made whole, ie. reunited with one another. Jesus tells us how that can happen: “by your faith.” People are living in fear that causes them to live in distrust. Until we begin to trust one another, to believe in the healing power of Christ, and to move from fear, anger, and distrust to gratitude for all God has done for us, we may find somewhat of a cure, but will never be made whole, never be saved from the devastation of this pandemic.