The comparison between HIV and leprosy is a proper framework for this examination. Today, HIV is still a stigmatized disease in many communities, but the predominate view is that its sufferers should not be outcasts of society, though the once were. Foundations have arisen to find a cure, and charities often donate to those with HIV in many countries, so that sufferers can obtain their medication. Today, HIV and AIDS, as well as other diseases like cancer, are prime issues in politics, as leaders try to fund scientific efforts to cure them. In Jesus' time, however, lepers, or those with contagious diseases, were seen as outcasts by society. They, too, were political issues, but the issue was how to contain the sufferers, not how to help them. Thus, with this contemporary view of Jesus' political...
In addition, comparing the two political spheres allow readers and biblical scholars to understand the disobedience of the leper, as he shared, excitedly, his news with everyone he knew. He had finally been released, accepted as a human being.
In sum, Jesus' healing of the leper in the first chapter of Mark is not only the story of a miracle, but also has political connotations when considered in terms of the politics of Jesus' time and when compared with modern politics. In fact, this suggests that the view of politics may be helpful in understanding both the Bible's historical and religious…
