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Do I belong here? It’s a question we all face at one time or another. Our constitution says that all are created equal. So, if someone is human, they can be a full citizen here. They don’t need to be a particular race or ethnic group.
However, in spite of the principle, for most of our country’s history, we deliberately set up legal barriers that kept people from really belonging here and being full citizens. Thanks be to God for the work of men like Martin Luther King, Junior, who called us to live consistently with our ideals even when most did not want to hear it. Because of him, our country made significant progress in removing those legal barriers that kept people from belonging.
While we have made progress, people still get left behind. Even where people are welcomed legally, this does not always equate to a change in people’s hearts to welcome all. It’s easy for us to forget the struggle that has occurred in the past to make this nation a place where anyone can belong. That’s why it’s good to have Martin Luther King, Junior Day. It calls us to remember triumph over past injustice and to continue to strive for a more perfect one.
This struggle of belonging is something we can see on a limited scale all around us. It’s easy for us to build our own world where we feel accepted and never try to enter new places. Why? Because breaking into new places is hard. It takes time and effort. When you feel like you are on the inside, it’s easy to forget what it’s like for new people seeking to enter. That’s why it’s good to put yourself into situations where you will be on the outside. It reminds us of what it is like to enter into a new place.
When it comes to the kingdom of God, what should it be like? What does it say to people who feel that they don’t belong? Today, we want to look at what the King did to show people that they belong in the kingdom. In the three passages we have before us, we have three people who felt like they didn’t belong. In the King’s response to them, we see something remarkable. The King welcomes all. So, let’s look at how Jesus treats a leper, a paralytic, and a tax collector to see how Jesus shows that all people are welcome and can belong in His kingdom.
The Leper
In the first account, there is a man who is “covered with leprosy.” Leprosy may refer to a variety of skin diseases. When there is something wrong with our skin, it’s easy to feel awkward about it. Imagine this man who was covered with it. But it’s worse than that. In those days, a person who was a leper had to go into isolation. He had to warn people as they came near of his condition. He could not join with the community. He could not go up to worship the Lord in the temple.
If there is one thing that 2020 taught me, it was the joy of a crowd of people. For a couple of months, most of us stayed isolated. We did not even meet for worship. I have a large family, but many people were alone. What a joy it was to come back. This was only for a couple of months. For the leper, he had no idea if or when it would end.