Jesus Cleanses a Man With Leprosy

Mark 1:39–45 “And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. [Again we find Jesus doing the thing He was called to do, teaching and preaching] And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him [when nobody else even wanted to be around him, Jesus not only reached out to him, but he touched them as well], and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.”

Seeing moves us to compassion

Leprosy was a terrible disease. It filled people with dread whenever they heard it. In these days, leprosy was an incurable disease. People who had leprosy had corruption, contamination, and death in their body. Leprosy usually started with a numbness in your fingers and feet. It would deteriorate your healthy body to the point where there would be stumps where there uses to be healthy limbs. Leprosy didn’t just destroy your physical body, but it destroyed your spirit. You were ostracized from your community and forced to live in colonies with other lepers. You couldn’t work, or participate in religious functions. Your friends ceased talking to you, and your family was cut off from you. The only thing you had to look forward to was death.

That was the case with this leper. He had nothing to live for. Here is the crazy thing, the Lord of the universe, who knows all things and sees all things is still, time after time, moved with compassion after he see’s the condition people are in.

Matthew 14:14 “And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.”

Mark 6:34 “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.”

Luke 7:13 “And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.”

Lamentations 3:51 “Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.”

The Vulture and the Little Girl, also known as The Struggling Girl, is a photograph by Kevin Carter which first appeared in The New York Times on 26 March 1993. It is a photograph of a frail famine-stricken boy, initially believed to be a girl,[1] who had collapsed in the foreground with a hooded vulture eyeing him from nearby. The child was reported to be attempting to reach a United Nations feeding centre about a half mile away in Ayod, Sudan. There was a famine in Sudan and many people were suffering. Forty percent of the area's children under five years old were malnourished as of January 1993, and an estimated 10 to 13 adults died of starvation daily in Ayod alone.[2] To raise awareness of the situation, Operation Lifeline Sudan invited photojournalists and others, previously excluded from entering the country, to report on conditions. In March 1993, the government began granting visas to journalists for a 24-hour stay with severe restrictions on their travel within the country, including government supervision at all times. The week following the photograph’s release, the public responded with sending money to any humanitarian aid they could find. Writer Susan Sontag wrote in her essay Regarding the Pain of Others (2003):[16] "There is shame as well as shock in looking at the close-up of a real horror.” Even the world understands that when we see things for what they are, our heart is affected. Four months after the photograph was taken, the photographer, so overtaken by the devastation in Sudan, ended his own life. The following year, he was, post-humously awarded the pultzer prize for his photograph.

Have we opened our eyes to the needs around us? Have we looked at this world, so lost in sin? Do we see them the way Jesus saw this leper?

Humility moves God

From Abraham in Genesis humbling himself and taking the land that Lot did not want, to John in Revelation, falling down and worshiping God, Humility can be found from cover to cover.

This leper fell down in humility, and look at his response. “If thou wilt.” How many of us have an “If thou wilt” mentality. Lord, if thou wilt. He knew who he was, He knew who Jesus was. When we have the proper perspective of ourselves, and who we worship, there can’t be anything but humility. Look at what God says about humility in the Scriptures.

Isaiah 57:15 “For thus saith the high and lofty One That inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

Micah 6:8 “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; And what doth the Lord require of thee, But to do justly, and to love mercy, And to walk humbly with thy God?”

Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

Philippians 2:3–11 “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

Look at those promises in Scripture. If I could have one defining characteristic in my life, I would want humility. But here’s the hard thing. Everything in my flesh tells me to live the opposite. When I do something well, my flesh tries to fling off humility and let pride seep in.

Here’s a catch 22, the person who is talented - by God nonetheless - is also the one tempted the most with pride. The one who has recieved the most gifts, and who should have the more reasons to be grateful, also has the most temptation to think more highly of himself than he ought.

So how do I nip pride in the bud and let Humility flourish? Start by kneeling before the Lord, like this leper did. Understand that we have no rights.

Our choices affect others

We finally come to this very interesting place in Scripture where Jesus gives very specific commands to this obviously humble leper. But instead of the leper doing what Jesus tells Him to do, he does what he feels is right. Which in turn, ends up limiting what Jesus was able to do in that region.

I’ve always been amazed at the power of our choices. Our life is made up of so many choices, more than I think we could even count. There our countless “what if” scenarios that we encounter on a daily basis. The only reason I met Malerie was because her brother-in-law had taken a job at the school I was working out. Then he and his wife decided to have a child, which led to Malerie coming down and nanying for them for a few months. Which led us to meet, and later marry. Which led to me ending up in Oregon, which led to us moving to Idaho, which led us here. And Haven, Harmony, and Haleigh are also a part of that little decision about where to work. Isn’t it crazy how our choices not only affect ourself but those around us.

I feel for his man, because he probably thought by telling others about Jesus, more people would be healed, and more people would know the one who had changed His life. But think about this, how many people ended up not being healed because Jesus’ ministry was hindered? How many people missed out on a relationship with Jesus because he decided to do it his way instead of God’s way? The very thing he was trying to do was hindered because he decided he knew better that Jesus.

When we are thinking of what choices to make, remember that our choices affect others. Our sin affects others, but so does our good choices. The parent who chooses to put Christ at the center of their home affects their children’s life. You poll current christians, and the majority of them grew up in a Christian home. That’s because a parent or parents made a series of choices to put Christ first in their family. And consequently, their children are made better for it.

Now is God still able to overcome poor decisions made by others, yes.