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Commentary on the Gospel for Wednesday, Thursday 16, 2025
I’ve always been struck by the words the leper uses when he encounters Jesus: “Lord, if you want, you can make me clean.” The first explanation that comes to mind—one that likely occurs to many—is that the leper doesn’t have much faith in Jesus. That lack of faith would explain his hesitant request. But I feel like that’s not the explanation—or at least, we could offer another perspective on the leper’s words.
Perhaps the leper had no doubt that there was something extraordinary about Jesus. Maybe he hadn’t yet recognized Him as the Son of God, as Christians would come to do years after Jesus’ death. But it’s clear he saw in Jesus someone extraordinary, someone with powers far beyond the ordinary. At the same time, the leper might have already encountered many powerful figures in his life—figures whose power didn’t necessarily translate into compassion for the sick, the marginalized, or those in need. We all know that, far too often, the powerful care mostly about themselves and their own comfort, showing little concern for the needs of others.
Maybe the leper was testing Jesus to see if He was like those other powerful figures he had met, or if He was different—someone who truly cared about people and their suffering, rather than focusing on His own interests. That’s why he said, “if you want.”
His surprise must have been immense when Jesus did want. In Jesus, he discovered a powerful man who looked beyond Himself to care for others—the poor, the needy. He saw that Jesus didn’t look at him with indifference, nor did He heal him to show off His powers or gain recognition. Jesus simply had compassion. And that alone was extraordinary. Jesus wasn’t powerful in the same way as the other powerful people the leper had encountered. Jesus used His power to serve the poor and the suffering.
That’s why the leper reacted the way he did—telling everyone about Jesus. Because Jesus was different. For the first time, the poor had reason to rejoice!