Putting on Missional Boots

Mark 1:40–45 CSB

Then a man with leprosy came to him and, on his knees, begged him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. “I am willing,” he told him. “Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. Then he sternly warned him and sent him away at once, telling him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But he was out in deserted places, and they came to him from everywhere.

Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor.

Charles Spurgeon

Every true disciple is born into the kingdom of God as a missionary.

Ellen Gould White

INTRODUCTION: “MISSION HAS A PLACE”

We live in a world where it is possible to care without getting close.

We know how to say the right things. “Thoughts and prayers.” A quick like. A share. A donation. We can feel something… without ever entering someone’s suffering.

But compassion is more than a message and it’s more than an isolated moment of sympathy.

Mission has a face! And in many ways, Mission has a location!

In November, just a couple of months ago, I travelled with Florin to Romania to serve with a ministry working among poor families in forgotten villages. Real people. Real need. Real places.

As I prepared for that short trip, I paid attention to the context I was stepping into. The terrain. I checked The weather. The roads. The homes. The way ministry would actually happen on the ground and speaking with the teams we went to connect with on the ground to get as much insight as possible.

As we were prepareing, something very simple became very clear to me.

I needed the right boots.

I already owned boots. Good ones. Presentable ones. The kind you wear to dinner, to church, to occasions that matter. But as I prepared to walk unpaved streets, to stand in cold homes, to carry food parcels, to visit families who had very little, and to spend time listening to their stories and praying with them in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit, I realised something:

I needed boots shaped by the work I was stepping into.

So I went to TK Maxx and bought a pair that were not about appearance, but about presence. Boots that could carry me where people lived. Boots that could walk muddy roads. Boots that could stand with people rather than simply pass through their lives.

And I am grateful I did.

Because during that trip we walked through villages. We entered homes. We brought food. We even brought a cow to one large family that had almost nothing. We listened. We prayed. We stood with people in their reality.

And one moment from that trip has stayed with me.

I was sitting in a small room with a man who was connected to a breathing tube. He could not speak. He could barely move. And in that moment, I did not say, “My thoughts and prayers are with you,” and then step back into my life.

I allowed myself to step into his pain. I looked into his eyes. Not with pity. With compassion.

And something changed in me.

I did not pray from the outside of his suffering. I prayed from within it.

His pain shaped my prayer. His presence shaped my heart.

And I walked out of that room knowing this:

Compassion is not what we say about people.

Compassion is where we stand with them.

During that trip, the Lord pressed something into my heart:

Following Jesus always has a geography.

Love always has a location.

Calling always has ground it must walk on.

Today I want to talk about “PUTTING ON MISSIONAL BOOTS”

Mission means movement.

Mission means presence.

Mission means stepping into the lives of people as they actually are.

And that’s what we see Jesus doing in our passage today.

He walks into human need.

He stands where people are hurting.

He meets people where life is real.

In this passge, we are seeing the heart of God in motion, unfolding in the life of a broken man.

There are three MISSIONAL MOVEMENTS in this passage. Movements that begin in the heart of Jesus and take shape in real human need.

In our passage, it begins when Jesus allows Himself to be interrupted by human need.

And that is the first movement we see in this passage.

POINT 1: MISSION HEARS THE CRY

What is actually happening in the moment

A sick man asking for help was something socially shocking.

In the world of first-century Judaism, a person diagnosed with “leprosy” (a term covering several serious skin diseases) was declared ceremonially unclean.

According to Leviticus 13–14, such a person was:

excluded from normal community life,

required to live outside populated areas,

and commanded to warn others by calling out “Unclean, unclean” when people came near.

This man’s life had been shaped by distance.

Distance from people.

Distance from worship.

Distance from belonging.

So when Mark says, “A man with leprosy came to Him,” the original hearers would immediately sense the emotional weight of that sentence.

This is a man, driven by desperation, stepping out of isolation into visibility.

[What those around would have perceived]

To the crowd and to the disciples, what they saw was an interruption.

A man who normally stayed on the margins is now moving into the centre.

He is approaching a rabbi in public.

The social codes of separation are being crossed simply by his presence.

People around would have asked themselves:

Who is this man to come here?

Why is he not keeping his distance?

What will Jesus do with someone like this?

__________________________________________________

Mark tells us two things about how the man comes:

He begs.

He comes on his knees.

This is a man who has lived for years being avoided, now placing himself completely at Jesus’ mercy.

And his words are revealing:

“If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

He does not question Jesus’ power. He questions Jesus’ heart.

He believes Jesus can. He is not sure Jesus will.

I don’t know where you’re at in your spiritual journey, but let me suggest that if you’re feeling stuck, it’s most likely because, at some point, for various reasons you have lost faith that Jesus DESIRES to intervene although you do BELIEVE He can!

Many of us believe Jesus CAN but few believe Jesus WILL!

For the man in our passage, years of exclusion have shaped his theology as he approaches Jesus with hope mixed with fear.

And notice:

He doesn’t simply ask for healing.

He asks CLEANSING.

In his world, “clean” meant:

able to return to community,

able to worship again,

able to be touched and hugged,

able to belong.

This man is asking for his life back.

A man who has been pushed to the edges is daring to be seen.

A man whose life has been defined by exclusion is asking if mercy is possible for someone like him.

And in this first movement of compassion, Jesus hears AND receives his cry.

Jesus allows Himself to be approached and addressed by a man the world has learned to ignore.

Before Jesus heals him, Jesus hears him. Before the body is touched, the cry is received.

Compassion, in this passage, begins when Jesus gives His full presence and attention to a broken human voice that came out of a broken heart.

APPLICATION: 

Where Are You Standing When the Cry Comes?

Most of us do not ignore suffering. We simply hear it from a distance.

We live in SHOES.

Shoes let us notice pain without stepping into it.

Shoes allow us to acknowledge need without rearranging our lives.

Shoes let us say, “I care,” while staying exactly where we are.

But Jesus does something different.

Before He heals.

Before He touches.

Before He restores.

He stops and gives His attention to a voice everyone else has learned to move past.

Whose cry have you learned to hear… and whose cry have you learned to filter out?

Not because you are unkind. But because attention costs something.

BOOTS APPLICATION (GRACE-DRIVEN)

Because Jesus heard your cry… Because He gave you His full attention when you had nothing to offer…

You are now free to move out of shoes and into boots.

Boots are about availability.

Boots say:

I will be present when someone is hurting.

I will allow myself to be interrupted.

I will give attention where love is calling.

Jesus heard your cry when you had nothing to offer Him. And now He invites you to take off the shoes of distance and put on the boots of compassion.

In this first movevemnt, we learn that MISSION is firstly about ATTENTION

Because MISSION Hears the Cry of the Broken

Secondly

POINT 2: MISSION CROSSES THE BOUNDARY

Text: Mark 1:41

Mark 1:41 CSB

Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. “I am willing,” he told him. “Be made clean.”

This verse is the centre of the passage. Everything turns here.

Up to this moment, Jesus has listened. Now, Jesus moves.

And what defines this movement is not first the healing. It is the touch.

“Moved with compassion” – the heart of Christ in motion

Mark begins with what is happening inside Jesus.

The word translated “moved with compassion” describes deep, visceral emotion. This is not polite sympathy. It is not distant concern. It is the stirring of the very centre of one’s being.

In the Gospels, this word is used almost exclusively of Jesus.

Before Jesus acts with His hand, He is moved in His heart.

Compassion is not something Jesus decides to show.

Compassion is who He is.

“He reached out His hand” – intentional movement into what others avoid

Jesus does not heal accidentally nor does He speak from a safe distance. He reaches.

This is deliberate movement.

Jesus Himself was crossing a religious boundary.

Jesus is moving toward what law, customs, culture, religion and instinct all said must be kept at a distance.

“And touched him” – the shock of the gospel

He touched him. Because He chose to.

In that culture, touch was never neutral. It carried religious meaning. To touch the unclean was to become unclean.

From the crowd’s perspective: Jesus has just made Himself ceremonially defiled.

But Mark shows something entirely new.

Instead of uncleanness spreading to Jesus… cleanness flows from Jesus to the man.

This is the revolution of the Gospel!.

In Jesus, holiness is stronger than defilement and contamination.

And then, in saying, “I am willing” – the heart of God is revealed

Jesus’ words are simple, but they carry enormous weight:

“I am willing.”

This is a revelation of God’s posture toward the broken.

The man’s deepest question was never, “Can You?” It was, “Do You want to?”

Jesus answers without hesitation.

God is not reluctant toward the unclean. He is not resistant to the outcast. He is willing.

“Be clean!” – He says

Jesus does not negotiate with uncleanness. He commands it.

With one touch and one word, reality is reversed:

what was excluded is restored,

what was unclean is made clean,

what was separated is brought back.

Jesus restores this man’s dignity, belonging, and life.

Illustration of Sorin, Shower, Stench

Most of us prefer to live on a kind of mission that:

does not disrupt our comfort,

does not draw us into complexity,

does not place us in emotionally or relationally risky spaces.

We want to care… while staying protected.

But we need to remember that:

Jesus did not love us from a distance.

He did not protect Himself from our brokenness.

He did not remain untouched by our sin.

He crossed into it. He took it upon Himself and then He carried it all the way to the cross.

APPLICATION: FROM SHOES TO BOOTS

Most of us are not indifferent. We care. We pray. We feel.

But we often choose to stand stuck in our own shoes.

Shoes let us stay near pain without entering it.

Shoes allow us to express kindness without embracing inconvenience.

Shoes help us keep our lives ordered and safe.

Shoes make us feel like we’re in control of every step we take in this journey called “life”.

But Jesus calls us to take off those shoes we’re stuck in and put on divine boots and step into the fulness of the plans He has for us!

If at first, the Boots of Mission are about Attention, now, the Boots of MISSION are about PRESENCE.

We start by saying “I hear you” and then we say “I’m here with you and for you”

The Boots of Mission say:

“I will step into what is uncomfortable.”

“I will be with people where life is messy.”

“I will not withdraw when love calls me closer.”

So the real question is:

“Where is Jesus inviting me to step closer instead of staying protected?”

Jesus crossed into your brokenness when you could not come to Him.

And now He invites you to take off the shoes of safety and walk in the boots of presence.

Mission Hears the Cry

Mission Crosses the Boundary

POINT 3: MISSION CARRIES THE COST

Text: Mark 1:42–45

Mark 1:42–45 CSB

Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. Then he sternly warned him and sent him away at once, telling him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But he was out in deserted places, and they came to him from everywhere.

The miracle happens immediately. The consequences unfold gradually.

Mark wants us to see both.

Immediate restoration for the man

Verse 42 is clear and decisive:

“Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.”

What this means in their world is far more than physical healing.

The man is no longer defined by exclusion. He is now on the path back into society.

Because Mission restores people back to life.

A public consequence for Jesus

IN verse Mark 1:45, we are told:

Mark 1:45 CSB

Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But he was out in deserted places, and they came to him from everywhere.

Jesus could no longer enter a town openly!

Here is an amazing exchange!

The man with leprosy, who was previosuly isolated is now restored to community.

At the same time, Jesus, the One who brought RESTORATION now experiences RESTRICTION.

Jesus now bears consequences that once belonged to the man.

Compassion Restores the marginalised back into beloning

Jesus absorbs the disruption that compassion creates.

In restoring the man, Jesus’ freedom is limited.

In bringing the man back into society, Jesus’ plans are interrupted.

INTERRUPTION is the COST we pay for Living on Mission

Compassion costs our personal freedom. It costs convenience. It costs control.

Isn’t this what the Parable of the Good Samaritan is about?

The religious, so called “spiritual” people weren’t willing to pay the cost of compassion becasue they were unwilling for their lives to be interrupted and their plans disrupted.

But this Good Samaritan who understood who his neighbour was paid the cost of compassion with his time AND treasure. HE didn’t just tell the man on the side of the road “I’ll pray for you”; he went the extra mile and changed his plans becasue He cared.

Becasue Compassion Carries the Cost!

Even in our text, Jesus does not merely heal and move on. He takes upon Himself the social, relational, and public consequences of compassion.

He enters the loneliness so others can return to belonging.

He bears restriction so others can experience freedom.

Many of us are comfortable with involvement that ends cleanly but hesitant with love that rearranges our lives.

Jesus did not walk away once Mission became costly.

He did not withdraw when obedience restricted Him.

He did not retreat when love reshaped His life.

He carried the cost fully.

We are called to carry the cost because grace has already carried us.

APPLICATION: BOOTS THAT STAY ON

Shoes let you step in briefly. You can remove them when it gets uncomfortable.

Boots are different.

Boots are for staying.

Boots are for long roads.

Boots are for ground that does not resolve quickly.

The Boots of Compassion say:

“I will not withdraw when it becomes inconvenient.”

“I will allow love to reshape my rhythms.”

“Will you stay when Mission costs you something?”

The cross was the unavoidable cost of God’s mission.

Christopher J. H. Wright

Jesus did not step into our brokenness temporarily. He stayed. And we are called to stay as well.

Mission Hears the Cry becasue Jesus heard the cry

Mission Crosses the Boundary becasue Jesus crossed the Greatest of Boundaries

Mission Carries the Cost becasue Jesus carried the ultimate cost

[Transition to “Wellies”]

You know, I believe that most of us do not reject the idea tha we’re called to be missionaries in our everyday life.

It’s not like any of us who call oursleves “Christians” would ever say that we do not want to be people on a mission, right?

No, the real temptation is more subtle than this.

We tend to be somwhere between shoes and boots

We… choose wellies.

Wellies are what we wear when we expect some mess…but only for a while.

They are practical.

They are convenient

They keep you clean.

And most importantly, you can take them off whenever you want.

Wellies let you step into mud without letting the mud decide how long you stay.

You step in. You help. You pray. You care.

But you still remain in control.

Wellies say:

“I’ll be present… briefly.”

“I’ll help… as long as it doesn’t cost too much.”

“I’ll care… but I need a clear way out.”

But Jesus does not wear wellies.

When Mission limited His access, He stayed.

When Mission pushed Him to lonely places, He stayed.

When Mission led Him toward the cross, He stayed.

This is the difference.

Wellies let you step in. Boots let you walk with.

What are you wearing when compassion calls?

Because shoes keep you distant.

Wellies keep you protected.

But boots keep you present.

And Jesus invites us to walk as He walked.

2 Corinthians 5:7 CSB

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

2107Those who walk by sight walk alone. Walking by sight is just this—“I believe in myself,” whereas walking by faith is, “I believe in God.”—12.116

Charles Spurgeon

CONSLUSION: WALKING IN BOOTS

Jesus heard our cry. Jesus stepped into our brokenness. Jesus carried the weight of our restoration.

Therefore:

We walk because we have been heard and we are known

We stay because we have been and we are loved.

We move toward others because Christ first moved toward us.

And as we walk with Him, there will be moments when love has a place and a face.

Moments when compassion has a location.

Moments when Jesus draws us closer to people and situations that matter to Him.

Those moments require presence.

This is what the boots represent.

A life shaped by following Jesus on real ground.

A willingness to remain where love has brought us.

A faith that walks with people as they are, trusting Christ to do what only He can do.

So as you go from here, go as people who have been fully met by grace. Go with clarity about who Jesus is and what He has done. Go attentive to where He is already at work around you.

And walk steadily, faithfully, and humbly in the compassion that first walked toward you.

Amen.