People Came From Every Quarter
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Mark 1:40-45
40. And a leper came to him beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean." 41. Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, "I will; be clean." 42. And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43. And he sternly charged him, and sent him away at once, 44. and said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to the people." 45. 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 the country; and people came to him from every quarter.
Touching a leper was considered defilement of oneself, but the compassion Jesus felt for the man transcended accepted practice. This is one of his earliest healings and the story sets the tone for what is to come. Jesus admonishes the man to only tell the priests, and then offer a sacrifice – as prescribed in Mosaic law. He didn’t want to be overrun by people everywhere he went; he wanted freedom to move from town to town. Also, he didn’t want to interfere with God’s timing of when the crucifixion was to take place—if the religious leaders of the day got riled up, they might act before Jesus had finished His mission.
There are a couple of other things about this short passage that struck me this morning. Jesus told the healed leper to offer a sacrifice “for a proof to the people.” He wanted them to know he did respect Mosaic law. He just didn’t want that to be the core of “religion.” He wanted not the law, but the one the law was intended to honor, to be the focus of everything we do. Then there’s the leper. He spread the news to everyone he met! He was so thrilled to be clean! His life very literally and very radically changed when Jesus healed him. He was no longer shunned and abhorred; now he could be a member of society, and live among his neighbors.
Of course, Jesus performed or granted more than just a physical healing here. He forgave the man his sins. The physical healing was problematic enough: the Jews believed only God could heal leprosy. The spiritual renewal was another issue altogether! I wonder if this was the “beginning of the end” for Jesus? Sure he told the leper to observe the law, but didn’t Jesus disregard the law by touching the defiled man?
Jesus’ love transcended any social norms. His compassion for the lost and the lame and the suffering was so deep and all-consuming. Have you noticed Jesus often went away to a solitary place after he performed a miracle? I’m sure he was drained after each one—his very life force must have been strained and he needed to “recharge his batteries” each time. But something else began to happen: Jesus could no longer openly enter a town. So many people needed and wanted to be healed.
And still today we seek what he offers. We long for the touch of his strong, yet gentle hand. We yearn for the peace of mind and heart that only His resurrection grants us. We strive for perfection, always falling short, yet relishing God’s grace—available merely for our whole-hearted efforts. The world isn’t really much different 2000 years later. We still bow down at His feet in adoration, and hope and longing. Heal us.
I hope you spend today feeling God’s healing love, exemplified by Christ and freely offered to each of us who merely need to ask.
Mary
