Thursday, October 18, 2001
Thursday, October 18, 2001
A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, "If you
choose, you
can make me clean."
Our words can build up or tear down. Our call is to hold fast to Jesus' spirit of love.
(Mark 1:40
NRSV)
The New International Version of the Bible gives the good translation of this story
because of
what it says about these men with leprosy. Other Bible translations simply call them
"lepers,"
while the NIV captures Jesus' spirit by referring to them not as lepers but as "men with
leprosy."
In the same way this translation also calls the Gerasene demoniac "a man with
demons" and the
paralytic "a man with paralysis." Subtle distinctions? Sure, but the focus is on the
personhood of
the one afflicted rather than the affliction itself. That's the spirit of Jesus.
Dear God, take away my hurtful words, and may the words I speak be a blessing.
Amen.
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