Mark 1:39-45

Picture of Lady Di. This made the news all over.

Speaking of the news....

finish this sentence: We interrupt this broadcast for these ....

What if they said we interrupt this broadcast for an unimportant message.

How many of us like interruptions? raise your hand.

The Galilean tour

briefly and dramatically tell the story.

Mark presents Jesus as a Man on a mission!

During Jesus time Rabbis considered leprosy as a disease that was not humanly curable. Rabbis in Jesus time believed that it was easier to raise someone from the dead than to cleans a leper. And, In the entire old testament there were only 2 recorded time that God healed a leper.

6 feet try 50 feet.

In Bible times Leprosy could be more than just Hansen's disease of today. It was a catch all for any skin disease that was incurable. What these diseases had in common is that they were incurable.

Lepers were considered unapproachable but Jesus was very approachable. Here we have the unapproachable approaching the approachable.

This Leper approached Jesus but he did so in 2 special ways: 1. without presumption notice he says, “if you are willing.” and 22. he approached Jesus with great faith in Jesus’ ability. Notice he says, “You can make me clean”. He was begging but he was doing it humbly and and with full confidence in the One who he is asking.

“On His knees” Mark includes this comic book, detail that Matthew does not.

Jesus was moved with compassion or pity. I don’t know who needs to hear this today but Jesus has compassion for us and our earthly problems. Jesus cares for you. The prophet Isaiah says of our Lord, a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench.

I want us to think about something else here too. Jesus was a man on a mission and this man interrupts His mission. In fact this man disrupts not only Jesus present mission but the whole future of His Galilean is thrown off track because of this man. But Jesus did not say. I can’t heal you now because you will disrupt my mission. I can’t heal you now because you are not going to obey me and you are going to tell everyone about what I have done for you even though I specifically tell you not to tell them. NO! Jesus was moved with pity even though this man interrupted His plans. Has Jesus every had compassion on you even though you were not presently living according to His plan for your life?

Does anyone know the verse Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus touched the untouchable and cured the incurable. He cleansed the unclean.

He redeemed the nonredeemable and He died to give you life.

Mark (4. The Cleansing of a Leper (1:40–45))

The Bible never speaks of healing leprosy, always of cleansing it. Part of the reason may be the loathsome nature of the disease, but a more likely explanation is that leprosy is a symbol of sin that must be cleansed. The episode implies that Jesus can forgive sin and therefore prepares for 2:1–12.

This is why Jesus said show yourself to a priest.

And Jesus also wanted the priest, who served God on earth, to have a testimony of what He could do. the preposition ‘eis’ here with the dative case pronoun could also be translated ‘against’ them. Meaning God’s work though Jesus show them that their office is becoming obsolete even useless. The testimony is that the law is being fulfilled in Jesus.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 1:43–44

This demand is qualified by the phrase as (eis, “for”) a testimony to them. This phrase could be understood in a positive sense (“a convincing witness”) or negative sense (“an incriminating witness”)

Jesus was on a mission from God and it was not a miracle working expedition but a mission of redemption. Jesus ultimate purpose for coming was to Preach the redemption God offers through Him. This was the authoritative message about the Kingdom or God. This was the good news message.

Jesus is a secret you cannot keep.

We are quick to tell others about what Jesus has done for our earthly needs but slow to tell others about Jesus message of redemption. How often do you get excited to share the message of the Gospel. Jesus did not come to preform miracles but to preach a message. Are we looking for His message or hoping for a miracle.

Even when we interrupt Jesus, He often still show us compassion.

Jesus came with a message the miracles were not the true intent of His mission.

Have you come to Jesus for the miracle or the message?

This story is a microcosm of the story of humanity. That is God shows us compassion even when we go against His desires.

that is the story of the Bible. People going against God desires finding compassion in Him.

Maybe this is why Kanya West became a Christian. Because He realized that God would love him even if He interrupted all the time.

What if the HIV patents had come to a speech that Prince Diana was giving and came up on stage and asked for a hug?

God’s mission is our redemption and even when we interrupt Him, He still shows us compassion.

Isaiah 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4He will not grow faint or be discourageda till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 5

5 Naaman, commander of the army for the king of Aram, was a man important to his master and highly regarded because through him, the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man was a valiant warrior, but he had a skin disease.

2 Aram had gone on raids and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.”

4 So Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 Therefore, the king of Aram said, “Go, and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.”

So he went and took with him 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it read:

When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease.

7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin disease? Recognize that he is only picking a fight with me.”

8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king: “Why have you torn your clothes? Have him come to me, and he will know there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.

10 Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, “Go wash seven times in the Jordan and your skin will be restored and you will be clean.”

11 But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the skin disease. 12 Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and left in a rage.

13 But his servants approached and said to him, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he only tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” 14 So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean.