Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."
--Mark 1:40 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on April 22, 2013 of Psalm 78:9-16; Mark 1:21-45; Joshua 17-19:9.
Jesus had begun His ministry in Galilee, going from town to town with Simon, Andrew, John, and James, teaching in synagogues, casting out demons, and healing the sick. He spoke with such mastery that people wondered, "What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." (Please see verse 27.) His name and reputation quickly spread throughout the region around Galilee. After healing Simon's mother-in-law, Mark relates that the entire city came to the door of Simon's house, all those who were sick and demon-possessed, all came to be healed and made whole (verses 32 through 34).
The next morning as Jesus and His disciples walked along to the next town, a man with leprosy approached them. Now lepers were considered unclean and treated as outcasts to a degree by Jewish law. A good Jew
would go out of their way to avoid contact with a leper, lest they also become unclean, so a leper would generally stay away from others. So the disease was as emotionally painful as physically debilitating. But this man approached Jesus and His companions, actually "came to Him", Mark tells us. Why did he make such an audacious move? Perhaps he had seen Jesus in action somewhere, likely standing off to the side as Jesus healed others. Maybe someone pointed Him out, saying, "There is the One who heals." Or it could be that the Holy Spirit reached out to him and showed him the Lord. We may never know the reason why this man felt compelled to break with social conformity and come face to face with Jesus. But what we can be absolutely sure of is that this poor leper knew without a doubt, with every ounce of his being, with complete assurance, that Jesus had the power, the ability, the authority to heal him of this disease that kept him separated from his people. "If You are willing", he declares. It isn't a matter of whether Jesus can heal him or not, only whether He is willing to heal him or not! The leper shows his full faith in Jesus by his absolute certainty of Jesus' power to make him clean. Jesus recognized this faith, felt compassion, and healed him.
Just as He did for this leper, Jesus rewards our faith, if not in this life then in the next. If we have faith in our Lord's power, He will cleanse us of our sins and make us whole. Jesus didn't want His ministry to only be about healing the body (see verse 44), rather He offers to heal our soul. If we have faith that He can wash us clean of our sins so that we might face God the Father in His presence, then He is willing to stand by our side on that day of judgement and claim us as His own. Trust in Jesus, for He can make us clean. Amen.
O great Healer, we know You are more than capable of making us clean. You have the power and the authority to heal the ill, make the infirm whole, and free us of the evil within us. We ask in our faith that You be willing to cleanse us of our sins that we might be reunited with God our Father. In Your wonderful name, Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.
The next morning as Jesus and His disciples walked along to the next town, a man with leprosy approached them. Now lepers were considered unclean and treated as outcasts to a degree by Jewish law. A good Jew
would go out of their way to avoid contact with a leper, lest they also become unclean, so a leper would generally stay away from others. So the disease was as emotionally painful as physically debilitating. But this man approached Jesus and His companions, actually "came to Him", Mark tells us. Why did he make such an audacious move? Perhaps he had seen Jesus in action somewhere, likely standing off to the side as Jesus healed others. Maybe someone pointed Him out, saying, "There is the One who heals." Or it could be that the Holy Spirit reached out to him and showed him the Lord. We may never know the reason why this man felt compelled to break with social conformity and come face to face with Jesus. But what we can be absolutely sure of is that this poor leper knew without a doubt, with every ounce of his being, with complete assurance, that Jesus had the power, the ability, the authority to heal him of this disease that kept him separated from his people. "If You are willing", he declares. It isn't a matter of whether Jesus can heal him or not, only whether He is willing to heal him or not! The leper shows his full faith in Jesus by his absolute certainty of Jesus' power to make him clean. Jesus recognized this faith, felt compassion, and healed him.
Just as He did for this leper, Jesus rewards our faith, if not in this life then in the next. If we have faith in our Lord's power, He will cleanse us of our sins and make us whole. Jesus didn't want His ministry to only be about healing the body (see verse 44), rather He offers to heal our soul. If we have faith that He can wash us clean of our sins so that we might face God the Father in His presence, then He is willing to stand by our side on that day of judgement and claim us as His own. Trust in Jesus, for He can make us clean. Amen.
O great Healer, we know You are more than capable of making us clean. You have the power and the authority to heal the ill, make the infirm whole, and free us of the evil within us. We ask in our faith that You be willing to cleanse us of our sins that we might be reunited with God our Father. In Your wonderful name, Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment