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Jesus Christ Loves True Faith
Mark 1:40 - 45

Mark's narrative concerning the leper isn't in chronological sequence. According to the other Gospels, Jesus' encounter with this man actually occurred immediately after His "Sermon on the Mount" - before He came to Simon's house or healed Simon's mother-in-law. We can't know why Mark chose to place this account where it is. Possibly Peter didn't remember the exact sequence as he told the story to Mark. Regardless of the chronology, though, the event is beautiful and moving. It provides us with wonderful insight into the Character of our Lord.

From Matthew's account we learn that there was a multitude following Jesus after His Sermon on the Mount. With such a crowd around Him, the appearance of this leper caused quite a stir, and Matthew uses the word "lo" (literally, "See!" = "Look at that!") to describe his feelings upon seeing the crowd part for this man. Not that it was any wonder that they parted for him, because, as Luke tells us, this man was "full of leprosy." His awful disease was in an advanced stage - his flesh may have been disintegrating, his fingers and toe joints may have dropped off, and raw sores would have spread over his body. As He came, people would naturally move out of the way, and a commotion would result.

The noteworthy thing about this untouchable was his wonderful attitude in coming. Mark tells us that he was "falling down before Him" in an attitude of worship. Matthew adds the additional detail that he emphatically called Jesus "LORD." The man was entirely confident that Jesus, as Lord, could help – even though He wasn't obligated to do so.

The same attitude was revealed by what the man said. He said, "You are able to cleanse me!" He wasn't demanding anything from Jesus. Instead there was a beautiful humility and submissiveness. He said, "If You might be willing . . ." It's an attitude that entirely entrusts itself to the gracious Master, an attitude that knows that Jesus will, after all, do what is best. It's safe to say that he had a kind of knowledge of Jesus that could only come about by the inner work of the Holy Spirit!

It's an attitude of faith, and it's the kind of faith to which Jesus loves to respond! That response can easily be seen in the way He dealt with this man! Mark tells us that Jesus was "moved with compassion." The Greek at this point is very vivid. The phrase, "Moved with compassion" is one, long verb, "splachnidzomai," from "splachnon," meaning the heart, lungs, liver, bowels - all the internal organs. Jesus felt deep compassion for the plight of this man, and he was also filled with joy at his attitude. He eagerly desired to help him!

And what a wonderful way to express it! He "stretched out His hand and touched him!" He touched the untouchable! Would you have done that? Keep in mind the awfulness of this case. Consider whether you would have touched this man even with rubber gloves! But Jesus was "moved with compassion" - and He immediately reached out to touch him with the touch of love and healing!

He also spoke right from His heart. He said, "I am willing - be cleansed!" The leper had said, "If You might be willing," and now Jesus responds by saying, "I am willing!" It's as if He had said, "I care about all your misery! I love your believing, submissive attitude! I deeply, actively, and fully sympathize with you! And I know My Father's will is no different than Mine, for I already see the Spirit's perfect work in you! I am WILLING! Be cleansed!" Instantly, He Who created man from the dust of the earth recreated the miserable body of the leper, recreated him in perfect health and wholeness!

What can we learn about our Savior from such a beautiful incident? At least we can see that, emotionally, He is the ultimately perfect human being! Can we not also see that He understands and sympathizes with our troubles?

We need to remember that we too are lepers! We are spiritual lepers. And our Lord sees us as we really are! You need to remember that He loves His Father, knows how good and holy He is, how we ought to think of Him and love and worship Him. And He knows how we actually do think of Him (or, actually, how we don't hardly think of Him at all!) He knows that we don't really want God in our thoughts - that we want our way, not His. He knows we don't serve Him but instead ourselves, and He knows that we break all His rules, ignore His preachers, think only selfish thoughts – we are indeed untouchable lepers!.

Yet, when we're hurt because of our own waywardness, when we come to Him bruised and battered by our own foolishness, when we cry out to Him, "Lord! If You're willing, You can make me clean!" - He says to us, I am willing - be cleansed!

The application, then, is that, in coming to Him, you can be assured that He understands you fully and that He will deal with you according to that understanding. If you come to Him simply and with sincerity, if you come to Him in believing submissiveness as this leper did, then He reaches out to you His Hand of love and care, and He says to you, "I am willing - be fully redeemed!"

There is a second important conclusion we can draw from this passage.  To see it we should think a bit further about our Lord's emotions as they're displayed here. Many people are controlled by their emotions. Others deny their feelings and consider emotion as at least somewhat sinful. But we need to understand that emotions were not a mistake on God's part when He created us. In fact, we have in the present instance a clear and beautiful display of the kind of emotions that please the Father. The leading principle by which our Lord lived all His life was love to His Father, and the result was emotionally rich love to this leper.  His Father's will was first, and good human emotion followed it.

So it should be for us as well - God's will first, our emotional response following. Oh may our emotions please Him Who made them!

There is at least one more important thing to be learned from this passage.  The next words of Jesus to this former leper might be surprising. Matthew tells us that He said, "See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and present the offering that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them." The voice that an instant before had been full of compassion and pity now takes on emphatic sternness. Even though the crowds were only a few feet away from them, Jesus commands this man not to tell anyone what has been done! What could possibly be His meaning?

Many have assumed that the reason for the admonition is the fact that, because of the publicity His marvelous works received, Jesus could "no longer openly enter into the towns . . ." They assume that Jesus was trying to prevent overcrowding! But if this was His purpose, He failed.

A more likely reason is found in Jesus' own words: "But go, present yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded - for a testimony to them." The important thing was not the man's silence, but his obedience to the Law of Moses.

Jesus wanted to make it very, very clear that He was not opposed to the Law and the Prophets, but that He was, in fact, their fulfillment. He was telling this happy man not to stop along the way, not to dawdle and spend his time telling everyone he met about his miraculous cure, but to be on his way to the priest, so that the religious leaders might have no reason to accuse Jesus of disregard for the Law (Matt. 5:17).

To properly observe the Law of Moses, this man would have had to go to the priests at Jerusalem, be physically examined by them, make an offering of two live birds, then wait some days. On the seventh and eighth days, he was to offer one or two lambs, then be pronounced clean, then be restored to society. Only then would he no longer be untouchable and isolated. Only then, following the priests' official pronouncement, should this man tell everyone - especially the priests - how he came to be cleansed. All of this was to be a testimony to the priests, a testimony of the authenticity of Jesus' ministry and of the fact that He did not divorce Himself from the Old Covenant.

We don't know whether the man ever came to the priests. We do know that, wherever he went, he spread the news! In telling us that Jesus could no longer enter the towns and that He had to remain in the "desert places," Mark is just emphasizing the fact that this man did a lot of proclaiming along the way! I don't think any of us can blame him!

But what can we learn from it? Hopefully, we can learn to have a motive like that of our Lord. He desired to bring a testimony to the priests, even though He knew they would not believe, even though they did nothing but show Him hostility. He was not success oriented, but He served His Father with singleness of heart. He would be righteous, and He would testify to righteousness, even though they would misunderstand the testimony and the One Who gave it. Our attitudes toward serving our Lord should be the same. Let us seek to serve only Him.

So, finally, though it seems we must learn the lesson many times, we should learn once again to come to Jesus with our needs! We need to come to Him without presumption, with humility, yet with absolute confidence in His ability. We need to come with a true sense of His lordship. And then we need to depart with renewed determination to live according to His commandments - to live in righteousness before God and men. God grant us to be former spiritual lepers, having learned anew to trust in His Son!