The Leper and the Soldier

Our culture is beginning to understand the power of shame, and we are using it as a weapon against one another. This is what leprosy is, a picture of the shame of sin. Matthew uses the unclean leper so we can understand that in the face of shame, fear, isolation, and sin Jesus is willing to touch and heal us. But this is only possible when we completely surrender to Jesus' lordship in our lives.