[ Today's Readings ]
A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,
"If you wish, you can make me clean."
It would be easy to harden one's heart after years of leprosy. It would be easy for the leper to believe that God must not want to heal him. Or else, why wouldn't he have done so already? But this leper's heart remains open.
Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion
in the day of testing in the desert,
where your ancestors tested and tried me
and saw my works for forty years.
After a life that might make testing in the desert seem easy the leper is still open enough to believe that Jesus might want to heal him. He encounters Jesus and one can see that he wavers and doubts. But he does not harden his heart. It is enough.
"I do will it. Be made clean."
With Jesus requests like this are not a matter of if but rather of when and how. Even if the body of the leper were to be restored at the resurrection on the last day Jesus still wills that he be clean. And ultimately the leprosy will be the blink of an eye in the face of eternity. But to remain open to what Jesus desires in spite of suffering is the lesson he has to teach us today.
Jesus is leading us all toward the Sabbath rest of eternity that he has in store for us. If we're in the desert the promised land awaits us. If we're suffering from sickness Jesus wants to heal us. So we ought to encourage ourselves and remain faithful even when times are difficult. We need to keep our hearts open to God so that we can "hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end." The end is worth it.
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
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