Lepers and Zombies

As you know Chandler and I have been watching “The Walking Dead” and loving it. It hit me that zombies are the modern day equivalent to Biblical time lepers. Lepers were considered unclean and people were terrified to be around them. Lepers were not allowed to live in the city limits around other people and when they did enter the city they were required to shout “Unclean, unclean, unclean…” as they walked down the street. If someone heard a leper walking down the street shouting “unclean” the person would drop everything they were doing and get away as fast as possible with fear in their heart because they didn’t want to become infected.

Then Jesus came along and actually TOUCHED a leper (Mark 1:41, “…Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him…). Not only did He touch the leper, but He had COMPASSION on the leper (Mark 1:41, “Moved with compassion Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him…) …this was unheard of.

Lepers today are not heard of very much, and we are not as scared of them. We understand the disease better today and are not horrified by it like the people of Jesus’ time. So this got me to thinking and trying to understand what it would have been like to experience a leper and watch Jesus touch a leper. This lead me to zombies (I know they’re not real). I felt this was a close comparison. Nobody wants zombies living near them. Zombies have skin and body parts falling off. Zombies kind of shout unclean by “growling” as they walk which warns people of them coming. When people hear the growling they drop everything and get away as fast as possible …well, everyone except Darryl (Inside joke with Chandler)..

If I every came across a zombie I would be horrified, and I would be filled with a fear like I have never known (except one time when I was very young and my sister closed my bedroom door leaving me alone in pitch blackness, and who knows what monsters were in that blackness with me). This is why I compare zombies to lepers. It helps me to understand the horror of Jesus touching one. Image yourself in a zombie infested world. You have found a safe “town” with a fence around it. The fence isn’t perfect and every now and then a zombie gets through. When one does get through you hear it growl and you know to run and hide. Now imagine Jesus has come to this town and is preaching compassion. While he is there, a zombie gets through the fence and is walking down the street growling (“Unclean”). While everyone starts to scream and run, Jesus turns around to face the zombie. He sees the zombie and is full of compassion for the zombie. In Mark 1:41 it says …”Jesus stretched out his hand…” Stretching out His hand implies that Jesus reached for the leper. He did not wait for the leper to come all the way up to Him, He was not repulsed or afraid of him. Now imagine Jesus walking towards the zombie and reaching out to him. He then TOUCHES the zombie! “He must be CRAZY! Doesn’t he know what zombies are and how they can infect him?” But He doesn’t get infected. Instead He says “I am willing. Be clean!” and right there in front of your eyes the zombie becomes a normal person again. AMAZING!

Amazing what a little compassion can do to a person. We’re supposed to have compassion (Col. 3:12, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another…”) for people (which are not near as horrifying as zombies). I don’t even come close to having the compassion that Jesus has. 

The next time you want to complain about someone, laugh at someone unusual, be horrified by someone doing something weird, remember Jesus’ compassion for the zombie (leper) and ask yourself “Should I have compassion on this person?”

Love Ya,
Dad