The Posture of Restoration

This sermon will address physical restoration in that of what is the posture of one that desires to be restored. In the preaching text (Matt. 8:1-4 but I may use Mark 1:40-44 or Luke 5:12-14) the one with leprosy kneels/bows down and begs Jesus to be made clean.

Leprosy is an infectious skin disease. Moses in Lev. 13 speaks at great depth about infectious skin diseases and how to mitigate the spread (isolation and that the individual is pronounced “ceremonially unclean”) and the process for one to be examined before being re-introduced into society.

In Lev. 14 Moses speaks to the process of being cleansed from the infectious skin disease. The individual must go before the priest to be examined and “offer the gift of Moses”. In the preaching text, Jesus makes reference to what is identified in Lev. 14.

For this sermon, I will use the Mark 1:40-45 passage of Scripture. In this pericope of Scripture, Mark notes that the leper “begged him on his knees”. The text also notes that Jesus “filled with compassion…reached out his hand and touched the man”.

It’s important to note, because this man had leprosy, he was considered ceremonially unclean. In other words, he was to be in isolation (according to the regulations established by Moses in Lev. 13). To be regarded as ceremonially unclean meant that no one would desire to be around the individual let alone touch them.

Jesus not only had compassion for this man’s condition but Jesus also ministered to his soul by touching him.