Early Christians knew nothing of personal Bible studies. They wrestled with scripture together publicly in the context of synagogues and of the church body. In an effort to continue that tradition here at Kicking at the Darkness I want to begin a weekly discussion of passages in scripture that are difficult or that are thought-provoking. Hopefully the handful of you that read this site can benefit from healthy discussions and insights that we share with one another.

I’ll offer up the first passage for us to talk about.

I have been on Mark 1:38-45 for quite some time.

“Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”

Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.”

Here is something I’ve been thinking about. For most of my life I assumed that the reason Jesus was unable to enter towns again was because the man blabbed and that the authorities were angry with Jesus for healing (as they often were). Obviously there is an element of “now the secret is out” but I wonder if my modern day understanding of celebrity has colored that way I envision people mobbing Jesus for attention. I think that there is another reason why Jesus was unable to enter public areas besides ruling authorities and rushing crowds.

I am now wondering if it was assumed that Jesus was now infected with leprosy because he touched the man in order to heal him and that is why he was relegated to “the lonely places.” Lepers were not able to live or even enter into cities.

It is the phrase “lonely places” that has driven me to this conclusion. The Greek word is “eremos” meaning solitary, desolate, lonely, wilderness, unpopulated. This would definitely describe the areas where lepers were forced to live.

If this is correct, what impact does it have on us in 2007? If Jesus was identified with the very people he rescued what does that mean for our reputations with the world?

Discuss.