Only Temporarily a Leper

I have been sick with a nasty spring cold for the past week or so, though thankfully, I seem to be getting over it now. Most of my friends, for various reasons, can't afford to get sick right now, so I have been living in self-imposed exile for the last week. The rest was probably good for me, but man - it is lonely! I was thinking that this is what it must be like to be a leper in Jesus' time. Then I thought some more and realized, no, that must have been a lot worse. Colds go away, leprosy often didn't. Those with leprosy lived in exile. No companionship, separated from family & friends, people running in the other direction if they came near, being "picked on." And no one would touch them. Not a hug. Not a single pat on the shoulder to say "I care". Until Jesus came. Now He could have stood at a distance & cured them of the disease, but he didn't. He knew their spirits/souls needed healing as much as their body. And so he touched them. (Mark 1:41) Imagine what that must have felt like to the leper!