Searchings in Mark 1:40-45

"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." - Mark 1:40-45

Once again I won't to remind myself that I am leprous and I desperately need to be healed!! But who would dare touch me? Who in their right mind would even come near me? I should be walking through my day yelling "Unclean, Unclean!!" If you could only see my thoughts you would not want to come near me! I am no different from this leper! Only my sin is covered by my this skin and his was plain to see (we must remember that leprosy was a curse from God almighty and it was inflicted where there was sin - to keep the history lesson short).

"And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean.""

We must all bow in adoration to the great physician! We must implore Him as the leper did. We must recognize that He does not react because of how passionately we beg Him but "If you will". So it depends not on the amount of so called faith that we can create into an emotional feeling inside of us but it depends solely on Christ and how He wants to display His glory and encourage His bride.

"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."

Oh praise the Lord Jesus for being moved with pity and having compassion on "this" leper! Oh praise God for demonstrating His goodness in "this" sinner! ("this" = the writer). Notice that Jesus touched the leper. Never would anyone get within spiting distance of a leper. You just didn't do that! What was He thinking? Why was God almighty in the flesh touching someone of this status? Why would He even be moved with piety? What did He see? Was it the way the leper approached Him? Was it some special word the leper used? No I think Jesus was moved with pity because He saw the devastation of sin. He saw the effects and the power that it has over His creation. Check out these verses:

Romans 5:8-11
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Ephesians 1:7-10
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Colossians 1:15-20
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

We can see that the reconciliation of creation is at the top of God's agenda! I would say its the most important thing to Him because it is how He displays His glory to all of creation in heaven and on earth. And Christ being moved with pity had nothing to do with "this" leper coming to Him in a certain way with certain words but because He saw the wreckage sin has caused and moved with compassion and to the praise of His glorious grace His goodness and loving kindness appeared to me and He stretched out His hand and He saved me. Not because of works done by me but Because He is a God who delights in working wonders (psalms 77:14).


"immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean."

Immediately I was clean. Immediately the garment that was stained by sin was now replaced with a robe of righteousness so that God almighty sees my sin no more and I am embraced when I walk into the courts of the Most High. All because Jesus touched me! Oh he touched me, oh He touched me!

"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."

The leper's testament to the Power of Christ Jesus caused others to seek Him out. May I not be slack in proclaiming the power of Christ's Cross!