In the time of Jesus, leprosy was a hideous disease and no means of prevention or cure was known then. Today, the incidence of leprosy has been greatly reduced because of modern medicine. Leprosy does not pose the threat which it did in the time of Jesus. Nonetheless the cure of which we hear in today's Gospel is important to us, not because we may contract a killer disease (Sars or the like) but because the episode tells us something about Jesus.

Jesus cured the leper out of compassion for the people. And yet He did not choose to end all sickness and disease during His life on this earth. Through His actions, He gradually revealed to the people of His time who He actually was. He is the almighty God who has come among us in our humanity. He has entered into the human condition whereby He shows His feelings for our weakness and our needs. In other words, we do not have a God who is aloof or unconcerned about our situation. But Jesus wants us to respond to Him not merely as a miracle worker but as a God of love. He does not want us to see Him as an extraordinary doctor or physician to whom we turn only in times of need. If you think about it, the only time you see your doctor is when you are sick. Jesus does not want that kind of relationship with us.