Mark - Are You Willing

The Gospel of Mark

The Gospel of Mark, generally held to be the first gospel recorded, and is the shortest Gospel in our bible.

John Mark, the writer of the gospel and cousin to Barnabas and missionary companion to Paul.

The Gospel of Mark was likely written to persuade Gentile readers in Rome that Jesus’ death on the cross did not invalidate his claims to messiahship or his proclamation of the kingdom of God, but rather that his resurrection, miracles, and prediction of his death justified his claims.

“Are you Willing?”

Mark 1:40–45 (ESV)

And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 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.” 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.

Message Outline:

Today I want to walk through this passage in the Gospel of Mark with you where we see Jesus performing miracles. I want each of you to understand that I believe the Lord has laid this series and this sermon on my heart for a reason, and I am going to do my best to get our of His way and allow the word of God to move like only it can.

More specifically I want to address the willingness of Jesus in this miracle.

proposing to Megan: I want to help each of you understand the gravity of this passage and this miracle performed by Jesus, and I am going to use an illustration throughout the message to help do that.

Background: I have been married to the coolest, goofiest, and best person ever for over 2 years now, and before she came to her senses I had to get down on one knee and ask her to marry me!

As I wrote this sermon I was reminded of the day that I asked Megan to marry me

I will never forget that day and the days leading up to it! asking her dad, planning how I was going to do it, and buying a ring.... I was so nervous and broke I don’t think I slept for a week.

Transition: those nervous feelings reminds me of verse 40...

Mark 1:40 “And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.””

A leper (this is not a leprechaun… as hilarious as that would be)

A leper is a term to describe an individual who was covered by a rash like skin disease.

Leviticus 13:45–46 ESV

“The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.

The sheer thought of someone like this approaching another is not only dangerous but against the laws at the time.

Yet, this individual approaches Jesus falling to their knees saying, “if you are willing to heal me I know that you can”

The boldness and faith of this man is astonishing! When I read these words I can almost hear the trembling in his voice as he asks Jesus.

It is most likely the same trembling that I had in my voice when I asked this beautiful young lady to marry me. This young man who was so obviously dating out of his league and was just trying to act cool so she would like me.

The day before I was planning to propose I had practiced! and now I don’t mean I just practiced what I was going to say....

I practiced getting down on one knee, which knee I was going to go down on, I was lifting weights so which arm was I going to hold out the ring so I looked strong in the pictures hahah

Every little thing I practiced, I wrote out what I was going to say and was practicing it in the mirror, because I didn’t think that she was going to say no (I mean look at all she was getting) but it all came down to her answer.

And it was the same thing for this leper in verse 41, He fell to his knees before Jesus (stepping out in faith) asking if Jesus was willing to heal him.

And when we look at verse 41 it says Jesus was moved with Pity… I am not sure if Megan was moved with pity haha

Mark 1:41-42 “Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.”

The Greek word written here for “Cleansed” is καθαρίζω (kath-ar-id'-zo) - to be wiped of all impurities (to purge of Evil)

When Jesus says to this man “be clean” he is saying I am purging the evil within you.

Church this willingness that is recorded in this text is not just a display of how incredible our God is, but is a direct reflection of how Jesus is willingly going to accept torture and death on a cross for those of us that fall to our knees and ask for healing.

Mark 1:44-45 “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.” 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.”

Jesus instructs this man to go quietly and not tell anyone of what just happened to him

But… the man was so overcome with the Holy Spirit that he could not restrain himself from running through the streets shouting and telling everyone he saw what this man JESUS had done for him

The texts does not tell us what all this man did to tell people, but I can imagine for Jesus not to be able to openly enter a town because so many people wanted to get to him, that this healed man must have never stopped sharing what Jesus did for him.

October 10, 2020… I picked Megan up from her apartment and I can remember being so nervous the whole drive, I was going over the plan in my head the whole time, I can’t tell you how many times I felt my pocket to make sure that ring was still there

But when I finally got down on one knee in front of my best friend (and totally forgot everything that I had practiced) and asked if she would marry me, the word YES never sounded to sweet

I tell yo what.....You couldn’t slap the smile off of my face!!!

I was so giddy and happy and I couldn’t wait to tell everyone!

There were people who knew there was something different just by the joy on our faces.

Conclusion:

Church, I want you to reflect on the word of God and ask yourself how do you react when you are touched by Jesus?

Do you see a change in how you walk? is there a change in how you talk?

Most importantly do you want to tell others about the incredible thing that our God did for you?

4487 Only God can put the touch on something that changes it from the common place to something special, different, and apart.

R. C. Sproul

Have you been truly cleansed by our God, or is he waiting for you to drop to your knees and ask for healing?