The Gospel of Mark (13) - A pleading leper and redemption

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."

Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.  "I am willing," he replied.  "Be clean!"

Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning, "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."

Instead he went off and began to talk freely, spreading the news.

As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places.

Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
                                                       -- Mark 1:40-45



Touching Peter's mother-in-law and healing her was one thing. But actually touching a leper was quite another.

No Jews touched lepers.

(Leprosy was a general term referring to various infectious skin diseases.)

There were strict rules for lepers. They were to keep their distance and warn people that they were coming, so the disease would not spread.

The unfortunate (or fortunate as it turned out) man knew Jesus could heal him, if He chose to.

Physical disease is a picture, not only of the illness of our body, but also of the illness of our sick souls. Sin infects our hearts, just as disease infects our bodies.

The man didn't need to worry about Jesus wanting to heal him, from leprosy, or from sin.

Scripture tells us that God is  not willing that sinners perish (2 Peter 3:9) and that He desires that all men be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).

In ancient times leprosy was a specific picture of sin.

It spread. It defiled. It isolated.

Jesus healed the man with His touch and with His Word.

Likely it was the first human touch -- the first act of compassion-- he had received for some time.

Jesus told the man to not tell anyone, but go immediately to the priest, be examined, and follow the instructions given in Leviticus 14, and honor God's Word.

Instead, we are told, the man went out and "talked freely, spreading the news."

He probably did see the priest eventually, because he had to be officially declared "clean and disease-free" in order to come back into religious and social life.

But he clearly did not obey Jesus.

And his lack of obedience did hinder Jesus's ministry.



What would we have done?

By the way, the ceremony described in Leviticus 14, to declare someone free of infectious skin diseases, is a beautiful symbol of our Savior and how we are declared free from sin.




It is a picture of redemption.




It involves two birds, representing the two aspects of Jesus's ministry: His incarnation and death  (one bird
is killed) and His resurrection and ascension (the other bird is stained with blood and then set free.)

The blood was applied to the man's right ear (God's Word) and right thumb (God's work) and right big toe (God's walk).

Then the oil was put on the blood, symbolizing the Holy Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit cannot come on the individual until the blood has been applied.

It was true then and it is true now. God and His plan for redemption have never changed.

"Without the shedding of blood there is no remission [forgiveness] of sin" (Hebrews 9:22).