Gospel in Art: A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees

Christ Healing a Leper by Rembrandt, 1650 ©Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 11 January 2024
Mark 1:40-45

A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees: 'If you want to' he said 'you can cure me.' Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. 'Of course I want to!' he said. 'Be cured!' And the leprosy left him at once and he was cured. Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him, 'Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed by Moses as evidence of your recovery.' The man went away, but then started talking about it freely and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived. Even so, people from all around would come to him.

Reflection on the drawing

One of the first things we notice when reading today's Gospel is that 'Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him'. Yes, Jesus was filled with compassion. He wasn't just healing people out of a sense of obligation or to show that healing people might encourage people to listen to what he had to say… No, he wasn't all calculating about his ministry. Jesus had genuine compassion for people. He cared for them and their needs. Jesus didn't hesitate for one second to heal. He says, 'Of course I want to heal you', upon which he touched the man.

But it wasn't just anyone whom Jesus touched: it was a leper. He touched someone severely ill and contagious. The onlookers must have watched with horror as Jesus was reaching out his hand. By doing so, Jesus entered the physical pain and symptoms of the illness of the leper. Jesus exposed himself to the disease. But none of that mattered to him because he saw a need and acted upon it. Again, compassion removed any concerns he would have had. Probably the leper hadn't been touched for years, so also the hug, the touch of Jesus would have been of as much importance to the leper as the healing itself.

Christ touches us… but we can also touch Christ… In the words of Pope Francis: 'We touch the flesh of Christ in those who are outcast, hungry, thirsty, naked, imprisoned, ill, unemployed, persecuted, in search of refuge'. Our beautiful, simple drawing by Rembrandt reflects the beauty and simplicity of such a gesture. If you look closely at the healing hand of Jesus, you will notice that his hand is covered with a light opaque paint. At an earlier stage, Rembrandt painted Christ taking hold of the leper's hand, but the artist changed his mind and thought Jesus touching the leper's head would be more poignant. Rembrandt further heightened the power of Christ's healing gesture by drawing the other arm inside his cloak.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/mark-1-40-45-2024/