What Is Spiritual Leprosy

We rarely encounter a case of leprosy nowadays. The majority of us have never seen or heard of somebody who has it. However, there is an illness that is extremely comparable to leprosy, a parallel, an analogue to leprosy, and it is very much with us. I'm referring to a condition I'd like to call spiritual leprosy.

Spiritual leprosy, like its physical counterpart, is characterized by a progressive loss of feeling. It's a gradual loss of feeling that affects our sensitivity to the Spirit and its promptings rather than our nerves. Spiritual leprosy is as dangerous to our souls as physical leprosy is to our bodies because of this progressive lack of communion with the Holy Spirit.

But how are we going to obtain it? What causes the sickness to start? Spiritual leprosy is caused by a combination of an environment and a response, much like any other sickness. When we do something that offends the Holy Spirit, we create the environment. We've all been in a similar situation. It could be nasty words made to a roommate or spouse; it could be an R-rated movie recently seen, a seedy magazine or book read, a dishonest deed, or our behavior on a date. In any case, we know what we've done is wrong since it makes us “feel horrible.” Isn't it strange that we use the same terms to describe a spiritual situation as we do a physical condition?

I believe we are feeling spiritual suffering when we say we “feel awful” about what we have done. Now, one of the most important aspects of the overall situation is how we respond to spiritual suffering. As I've considered it, there appear to be as many different types of spiritual pain reactions as there are physical pain responses. We sometimes try to ignore it in the hopes that it would go away. Alternatively, we may merely try to alleviate the symptoms without addressing the core cause. For example, when we have physical discomfort, we take a pain reliever like aspirin, which doesn't always address the problem but at least makes it go away for a while.

My wife taunts me by stating that whenever I'm unwell, I tell myself that I need to get some basketball practice in. My brother-in-law, a medical doctor, was sick a few weeks ago, so I contacted him to check how he was doing. I informed him I'd experienced the identical problem the week before and knew exactly what to do about it. I was directing a medical doctor's actions. “Oh, fantastic,” he answered, “tell me what to do.” I had him right there, you see. I'd been waiting ten years for him to ask me what I wanted to do about things. I told him to put on two pairs of athletic shoes, play thirty minutes of basketball, and phone me in the morning.

Unfortunately, we sometimes respond to spiritual pain with physical procedures that are comparable to those used to treat physical pain. We get drunk or high on drugs, and we try to flee or run away. It's possible that the anguish is so severe that we consider suicide.

Of course, spiritual pain that persists is a sure clue that something is wrong. When physical pain persists, it is reasonable to seek medical help from a doctor. But, in the case of spiritual suffering, what is an appropriate response? As gospel scholars, we understand how important it is to admit our mistakes and ask forgiveness with humility and sincerity. Our Lord's clear invitation can be seen in Matthew 11:28–30, where he says:

Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am meek and humble in heart, and your souls will find rest.

Our spirits would be whole, in tune, and free of disease if our instant response was to go to our Heavenly Father and ask forgiveness. But, my young brothers and sisters, when we realize we've done something wrong and postpone or fail to seek forgiveness, some of our spiritual nerves stop working. We've contracted spiritual leprosy when that happens. The sickness gets worse the more we insult the Spirit and the longer we offend the Spirit. The spiritual agony that signals us to change our ways is increasingly filtered out, until our spirits are assailed by the red hot fire of significant sin, and we have no idea when to draw back our hand!

What's the spiritual meaning of leprosy?

Biblical leprosy, a physical trait of some humans, actually signifies care for the purity and cleanliness of the social body, according to some interpretations.

Is leprosy a type of sin in the Bible?

Leprosy was a unique disease. They were regarded as ceremonially unclean, preventing them from worshiping in the temple, which was where God displayed His presence. The same is true of sin. It makes us enemies with God, cutting our connection with Him and leading to our demise.

What did Jesus say about leprosy?

2.And lo, a leper approached him and kneeled before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can cleanse me.” 3.And he reached out and touched him with a clean hand, saying, “I shall be clean.” And his leprosy was cured right away. 4.And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anybody; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift mandated by Moses as a proof to the people.”

8. Freely ye have received, freely give: heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils.

5. The blind will see, the lame will walk, the lepers will be healed, the deaf will hear, the dead will be raised, and the poor will hear the gospel preached.

6. Now, Jesus was in Bethany, at Simon the leper's house.

What disease was leprosy in the Bible?

People with leprosy, a skin ailment, were considered outcasts in Biblical times. There was no cure for the disease, which caused a person's appearance to deteriorate as fingers, toes, and eventually limbs were lost.

Who was cursed with leprosy in the Bible?

Gehazi, a servant of the prophet Elisha, held a position of power but eventually became corrupt, abusing his position to defraud Naaman the Syrian, a leprous general. Elisha cursed Gehazi as a punishment, passing Naaman's leprosy on him and his offspring for all time.

Gehazi is one of four commoners mentioned in Rabbinic literature as having forfeited his part of the afterlife due to his wickedness. Rudyard Kipling used him as the topic of a poem.

What did leprosy look like in the Bible?

Leprosy was described in the Bible as a swelling of the skin with crust and a pale patch, the severity of which could have been determined by the depth of the affected skin.

What was the name of the leper Jesus healed?

Simon the Leper is often confused with Simon the Pharisee (see Shimon ben Gamliel), who is mentioned in Luke's Gospel as the host of a banquet at which a contrite lady anoints Jesus' feet. Efforts have been made to reconcile the events and personalities because of some parallels, although other historians have pointed out disparities between the two events. Another explanation for the parallels is that the anointing in Luke 7 and the anointing at Bethany took place some years apart, with some of the same participants.

Simon the Leper is sometimes mistaken for the same person as Lazarus of Bethany, or for his father or brother. This is because, while Matthew and Mark mention Simon, and John name Lazarus, all four gospels assume that one person stayed in Bethany during the last week. Because Lazarus is depicted as a leper in the tale, and because of a perceived coincidence between the three, Abbé Drioux recognized them all as one: Lazarus of Bethany, Simon the Leper of Bethany, and the Lazarus of the parable.

Are there lepers today?

However, leprosy, sometimes known as Hanson's sickness, is not a particularly contagious condition. You can only get it if you come into close and repeated contact with leprosy-infected person's nose and mouth droplets. Leprosy is more common in children than in adults.

According to the World Health Organization, over 208,000 people worldwide are infected with leprosy, the majority of whom live in Africa and Asia. Every year, about 100 people in the United States are diagnosed with leprosy, predominantly in the South, California, Hawaii, and other US territories.

What did leprosy look like?

• Leprosy is a disease that affects the skin and nerve system and develops slowly.
• Leprosy is caused by an infection with the microorganisms Mycobacterium leprae or Mycobacterium lepromatosis.
• Early signs include loss of sensation in cooler parts of the body.
• Leprosy symptoms include painless ulcers, hypopigmented macules (flat, pale regions of skin), and eye impairment (dryness, reduced blinking). Large ulcers, digit loss, skin nodules, and facial deformities may develop later.
• Nasal secretions or droplets carry the infection from person to person. By droplets or direct touch, leprosy is rarely transmitted from chimps, mangabey monkeys, and nine-banded armadillos to humans.