As Jesus heads out on His road trip to preach in synagogues across Galilee He encounters all sorts of people. In the last paragraph of his first chapter, Mark tells us
40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.
This man is desperate, and he is depending on Jesus to do something that will change his life. That is a great way to approach Jesus, with humble faith and trust that He is the One Who can change our lives. Jesus must have shocked everyone there, as he reached out and touched this leper. No one did that. Leprosy was at the time considered to be the uncurable disease. People feared it like a coronavirus. Now Jesus did not have to touch the man, because it was when Jesus spoke the command "be clean" that the man was cured. But Jesus chose to touch someone who was serious about being healed. That tells us something about our own needs and those of others. We don't get crazy and careless when reaching out to people in need, but we do not withdraw in fear either. As much as Jesus requested this man to remain silent until he was pronounced clean by the priest, the man was so overjoyed by His deliverance that he could not. When we ask God, through Christ to do something, and He delivers us from our desperation, neither can we remain silent. Ask, believe, receive, and proclaim.
No comments:
Post a Comment