Noises and shouting from the street had Gisse rushing to the door to find out what was going on. When she opened the door, the shouting immediately amplified, and she could clearly hear what was being said, "Unclean, unclean! Make way, let us pass, unclean, unclean."
Gisse and her family lived near the outskirts of the town and it wasn't unusual to hear the lepers passing by, either on their way to the priest or begging for food.
"Gisse! come inside and close the door."
It was her mother's voice she heard, coming from inside the house. Gisse closed the door and ran to her mother. She begged, "Please can I take the poor lepers some bread?"
Her mother answered, "We hardly have enough food to feed ourselves, perhaps next time." The little girl, small in stature but big in heart, replied. "I'll go without supper, they can have my share, please mother, please. If I go quickly I will still be a able to catch up to them."
Gisse's mom had mixed feelings, she felt proud that her daughter put the plight of the needy before her own, but did not like the idea of her daughter getting too close to the lepers. What if she contracted the dreaded disease. Gisse pestered her mother into submission, and after wrapping the meagre victuals in some cloth, she dashed out into the street, having promised her mother she would not get too close to the lepers.
She caught up to the sickly looking men, for they had stopped outside a house and were shouting, "Elisha, Elisha, have pity on us. Heal us from this dreaded disease. "
This went on for sometime. Eventually the door opened and Gehazi, Elisha's servant came out and tried to chase the afflicted men away.
"Go away, the master does not want to see you." After much arguing and shouting, all but one leper, had hobbled away. Gehazi went back inside. The last remaining leper knocked on the door. Gehazi opened the door and shouted, "Go away." And closed the door. The leper knocked again, Gehazi opened again, shouted as he did before and closed the door. The leper knocked again, Gehazi opened again and shouted. Gisse, who had been standing, half hidden behind a large barrel, used to catch rain water for the house next door, witnessed all that had happened. She also subconsciously counted how many times the leper knocked and Elisha's man servant opened the door. Seven times. When Gehazi opened the door the seventh time, before he could shout, the leper stuck his staff, that he had been leaning on, into the doorway. He implored the servant, saying. "I care not that I be healed from my affliction. I know that your master, Elisha, is a man of God. He is the prophet of the Most High. Beg him to pray to Yahweh to forgive my sins, which are many. My suffering of the body I can bear, but the weight of my sins is a burden I cannot live with. Ask your master, please to pray for me."
This time Gehazi did not shout at the leper, in fact he never said a word. He turned around and disappeared into the house. He didn't even close the door. A short while later he returned and in a low voice said, "My master says you must find someone who will feed you. Take whatever food they give you. Ask that person to pray for you, confess your sins, asking the Living God to forgive you. Repent and you shall be cleansed. Go then and show yourself to the priest." Gehazi closed the door.
The leper looked around expectantly but everyone who had been there earlier had conveniently disappeared into the shadows.
Slowly he began his dejected walk home.
Gisse saw the man walking towards her. She hadn't heard what was said between Gehazi and the leper before the door closed for the last time. They had spoken too softly.
She suddenly realised she still had the food parcel in her hand. She stepped out from behind the barrel and into the pathway of the oncoming man. When he was about one stride away, she held out the parcel and said, "Here is some food for you." Mumbling his thanks, he took the food and sidestepped, meaning to pass the little girl that stood before him. Suddenly he stopped. Turning his head and looking at the little girl with a very curious expression, he replayed in his mind the instructions he received from the prophet. There must be some mistake, how could his forgiveness and cleansing be administered by a child. He shook his head and took another step forward. Again he stopped. What if this, a mere child, was the person he was supposed to meet. If not what harm could it do to be prayed for twice. The leper quickly backtracked until he again stood before the child. He asked,
"Please would you do something for me?"
Gisse mistook the question as a request for more food, and replied, "I'm sorry I don't have any more food to give you. It was....."
Gisse stopped talking, she wanted to say that it was actually her supper that she had given him, but didn't want him to feel bad so she thought better of it.
"No no no" the man quickly answered, "I don't want more food. I need you to pray for me."
Bewildered, the young girl replied, "Why me? I am only a child!"
"The prophet's servant said that the one who gives me food, should pray to the Most High God, asking Him to forgive my sins."
Gisse was no stranger to prayer, she prayed to her God every day, but this was an extraordinary request. She said, "I don't think I can. I have never prayed for a stranger before." The dejected look on his face brought tears to her eyes. He replied, "I thought it was a bit much to ask of you. I'll be on my way. Sorry I bothered you. Perhaps I'll meet someone else along the way. Thank you anyway."
As the leper started to move away, hundreds of thoughts raced through Gisse's mind. What if Yahweh wanted her to do this and she disobeyed. Her mother was always telling her she had a loving and compassionate spirit, was not doing what he asked, being very loving? Was this a test of her character?
She spun around and shouted, "Stop!"
Running to face the leper, Gisse exclaimed "I'll do what you ask. Please forgive my childlike words though, I cannot pray like the priest in the synagogue. My words are plain."
The man grabbed hold of the young girl's shoulders, forgetting he was a leper and said.
"Truly you are the one sent to pray for me, for am I not looking into the face of an angel!"
Gisse pulled the leper from the middle of the road to a spot more in the shadows. She was not ashamed of praying in public but she was scared someone from the synogogue would see her and reprimand her for interferring in priestly duties.
Once they were a little less conspicuous she said to the leper, "Firstly, what is your name?"
"Oded" he answered.
"Kneel down" He obeyed. Gisse tried to picture the stance that the priest adopted when he prayed. She always closed her eyes so she couldn't remember. So she stretched out her hand, and not wanting to touch him, she let it hover above his head. Gisse said.
"When I get to the sins part you will tell me and I will take it to the Lord." The leper agreed.
Gisse started. "Loving father in heaven, please hear my prayer. Oded wishes to confess his sins and I would love for You to forgive his sins. You are a great God and Oded wants to repent of his sins. Please cleanse him and make the leprosy disappear."
She looked at Oded and said, "What is your first sin? He answered.
"I hit my wife" Gisse's eyes shot open and she was about to say 'how could you do a thing like that' when she realised she was supposed to be praying. She repeated what he said. Well nearly.
"Lord forgive Oded for being nasty to his wife"
"Next" She said.
"I cheated my business partner"
" Lord forgive Oded for cheating his business partner ". She tapped his head.
"I didn't give my tithe to the church"
"Lord forgive Oded for not tithing to the church"
"I blaspbemed against the name of the Lord"
This man is really evil the young girl thought, but continued.
"Lord forgive Oded for blasphemous talk."
Getting into the rhythm of the confession, he continued without prompting.
"I slept with other women while I was married "
"Lord forgive Oded for being unfaithful to his wife."
"I sold information to the Syrians. Where they could find children to capture them for slaves."
Again her eyes flew open. The leper's eyes were also open, looking at her. He sadly said, "Are you sure you want to continue praying for me. I don't deserve it you know."
Tears were rolling down her cheeks. She sniffed loudly.
"It's getting late. My mother will start to worry. I must go." Gisse closed her eyes once more, and said.
"Lord forgive Oded for......."
She couldn't anymore. Crying openly she whispered, "I'm sorry" and started to run home as fast as she could.
Oded turned and started hobbling to the synogogue. Something was different. The leprosy had affected his bones and especially his spine. So he walked bent over, always looking at the ground in front of him. He now walked looking straight ahead. He could see to the end of the street. He kept tripping over his staff, why? He realised that he wasn't shuffling along anymore, placing the staff ahead of him to support himself. He was walking down the street, taking long strides. One thing was sure, he didn't need the staff anymore.
The light was failing, so he couldn't be sure, but he felt that his skin wasn't so patchy as it was a short time ago.
He started running, running and shouting, and not shouting unclean....unclean, but shouting for joy!
Long before he reached the priest he knew, he knew deep down in his soul he was cleansed, but more importantly he knew he was forgiven.
