1 John 5:5-13 / Luke 5:12-16
If looks are only skin deep, then it is obvious that judgement cannot be based on appearance.
Nonetheless appearance rules the world and hence looks are important in order to impress.
Even when we are sick, we still would want to look at least presentable.
But what if the sickness is the affliction of the skin? So much so that others think it is contagious and repulsive or even think that it is the result of some kind of curse.
That would be situation of the leper in today's gospel, as well as the situation of the lepers of that time.
Faced with rejection and laden with dejection, Jesus was his last hope and even then he wasn't very hopeful.
Hence his rather feeble request: If you want to, you can cure me.
And here is where Jesus makes an astounding reply: "Of course I want to! Be cured!" And He even stretched out His hand to touch the leper to heal him.
This profound act goes to show that God pays attention not so much to our appearance as to our hearts' disposition.
Furthermore, appearance is not the essence. Jesus took on flesh and became like one of us.
He was fully human and also fully divine. But it was His essence that defined His appearance.
May our appearance also be an exposition of our essence of who we really are.