A friend of mine recently rushed to the side of a dying person at the scene of a terrible accident. He told me that it’s heartbreaking to realize you can do nothing to bring that person back again.

We are born into and live in a fallen world. We’re all suffering from a terminal disease. And only Jesus has the cure.

In Bible times, among the Jewish people, few diseases provoked more fear than leprosy. You not only lost everyone and everything, but you eventually became very disfigured – like how we think of the walking dead. So imagine when the disciples saw lepers ahead of them. “Quick,” one says, “let’s turn here and let’s walk around the village the other way.”

Yet Jesus doesn’t change course. So, the disciples have to choose, and they follow behind Jesus, fearful and hoping beyond hope that the lepers will not come near them. But they are the very reason Jesus has come - to cure them.

Yes, Romans 6:23 reminds us that sin is a terminal disease, and Jesus is the cure. It says, “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Let’s not shy away from reaching out to others who still need Jesus’ love, forgiveness, and healing.  

This is Andrew Palau.