2/16/21

"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, 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." (Mark 1:40-42)
In this A. M.'s reading assignment, I read a passage that moves me each time I read it. "What a wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord! What a wonderful Savior is He..."
This poor leper came to Jesus. I wish I knew more about him. Here is what I do know about him.
1) He was a leper. (He was diseased, sick, disfigured, and an outcast.)
2) If he was married, he had to leave his wife, and live alone.
3) If he was a daddy, he had to leave his children.
4) If he was employed, he had to leave his job.
5) If he was a tradesman, he had to leave his business.
6) If his parents yet lived, he could not visit them.
7) If he had friends, he could not speak to them.
8) If he was a Jew, he could not worship at the temple.
9) If he met someone on the road, he had to avoid them.
0) No other human being had touched him, nor held him in their arms, since he had been diagnosed as a leper.
Leprosy took everything away from this man. His very life, and all that brought him joy was was ripped away from him.
Then, he came to Jesus!
He fell to his knees before him. He prayed unto him. He said, "...If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." (v. 40) He simply expressed his faith in Jesus, by saying, 'Lord, if you want to, you can make me whole again!'
Look carefully at Jesus' response.
1) "And Jesus, moved with compassion,..." (v. 41) I wonder how long it had been since anyone felt compassion toward this man. How lonely, and unloved, he must have felt, for so long? Then, Jesus, had compassion upon him!
2) Jesus "...put forth his hand, and touched him,..." (v. 41) Leprosy was so misunderstood. People were afraid to come into contact with a leper. The Law demanded that others stay away from the leper. But, Jesus put His hand out to him, and touched him! How long had it been since someone touched this man? We human beings are social creatures. We need to be touched, hugged, and loved.
3) "...and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean." (v. 41) Jesus said, 'I am willing to heal you! You be healed! Now!' If you are running from Jesus, turn around, now, and run unto Him!
4) "As soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed." (v. 42) After so long a time, he was set free! He was healed! He was no longer a leper!
What did that mean to this Man? It meant everything!
1) He could go home, again.
2) He could hug his wife and kids.
3) He could call on his mom and dad, and his siblings.
4) He could go back to work.
5) He could return to the temple.
6) He was no longer an outcast.
Jesus restored this man with a spoken word. Jesus was compassionate to him, and was willing to heal Him!
Sin is as the disease of leprosy. Sin takes everything from us. And like leprosy, we can't do anything to heal ourselves. We need Jesus!
And Jesus is compassionate unto us. He is willing to heal us, and restore us.
Bow down before Him! And find the help that you need.
From my heart to your heart.