Luke 5: 6 – 16 Cure of a Leper

Luke 5: 6 – 16 Cure of a Leper

Now there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where he was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean." Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, "I do will it. Be made clean." And the leprosy left him immediately. Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but said "Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them." The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments, but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.

What strikes me about this passage is that although 90% of it is about Jesus curing the leper, my eye is drawn to the final line: “He would withdraw to deserted places to pray”. Solitude, silence and prayer. It might look like an add-on, but I think it’s really an integral part of both the story and of Jesus’ daily life. Because he prayed and removed himself from distraction and put himself in God’s presence, he was literally overflowing with God’s power – hence the ability to do astounding miracles at will. What could we accomplish if we did the same? Probably not miracles in the sense that Jesus did them, but maybe miracles of caring and forgiveness and witness and outreach. When I taught religious education a few years back, I used to compare prayer to our attempt to tune in a sort of (radio) signal from God. Our prayer helped us to “lock onto” God’s frequency, to get the strongest possible signal that God is sending our way pouring directly into our lives. Solitude, Silence & Prayer – may I not miss out on this way of letting your power pour into me.