Читать книгу The Story of Jesus The Christ - Helen Braun Hojt - Страница 29

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So lie left Capernaum and went through other towns of

Galilee, healing the sick and teaching in the synagogues.

While passing through one of these cities a man who was a

leper saw him and kneeled down before him. Now leprosy is

a very dreadful disease or

sickness that people in hot

countries sometimes have;

and one who takes the dis¬

ease almost never gets free

from it. He is called a

leper, and is not allowed

to touch anybody, for a

touch might give the dis¬

ease to the one who did not

have it. He must leave

his home and live with

other lepers, and if he sees

any one coming near him

he must call out so that

they will keep away. The

Jews always called out

«Unclean! Unclean!»

But this leper did not

cry “ Unclean.» He went

as near Jesus as he dared,

fell down before him and said, «Lord, if you are willing you can

make me well.» The Saviour felt sorry for the poor man; he

put out his hand and touched him and said, “ I am willing; you

shall be well.» As soon as he spoke the leprosy left the man;;

he was well.

Jesus said, “ Tell no man how you were cured, but go and

show yourself to the priest.»

The Great Physician

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A CHILD’S STORY OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST

The leper must do that to obey the law of the country, which

was somewhat like this: If a man who thought he had leprosy

found that it was a mistake and he did not have the disease, or

if one who was a leper had been cured of his trouble, he must

first go to the priest and prove that he was free from the disease.

Then he must go through a form of cleansing, and the priest must

offer sacrifices for him. After all this had been done he was

called clean and allowed to live with his family again. The

lepers went to the priests to be sure that they did not have the

disease, because the priests were the ones who were taught to

know the disease whenever they saw it; and they were the ones

who had a right to decide. There were no good doctors, except

among the priests, so the people always went to them for such

things as this, just as we go to some doctor.

Jesus told this man to obey the law by showing himself to the

priest, and being cleansed, but not to say anything about how he

was cured. But the man was so happy and grateful that he

could not keep still; he went out and told every one he met that

the Lord Jesus had cured him, and he was well.

The news spread fast. People from far and near came to see

the preacher who made more wonderful cures than any doctor

they had ever known. Jesus needed rest, and for a few days he

kept away from the crowded cities and spent the time in the

wilderness.

But in a very few days he was ready for work again, and went

to his friends in Capernaum. It did not take long for people to

find out that he was there again, and crowds came to hear him

from that city, and from all the towns in Galilee and Judea.

Scribes and Pharisees were often among his hearers. The

scribes were lawyers; they spent much time in studying the Jew¬

ish law, and taught the people what they must do to obey it.

They were the men who made the copies of the Scriptures. You