MARKAN MEDITATIONS

Meditations in the Gospel of St. Mark

St. Mark 1:40-45

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IN THIS passage concerning the healing of the leper we have lessons we can learn from the leper; lessons about Jesus; and lastly a general spiritual lesson which rises out of the whole story.

Firstly then, the two lessons we can learn from the leper. In the approach of the leper to Jesus we have a good example as to the way we sinners should approach Jesus in our need. We can claim nothing as a right from Jesus, nor in our relationship with God are we deserving of his favour. The lepers approach was so good. He came begging on his knees. By kneeling he acknowledged the Lordship of Christ. He gave Jesus his proper place, even though he probably did not have any clue as to his deity. The leper begged. He knew Jesus had no obligations towards him, and also in this begging he confessed his own unworthiness, even though the leprosy and the misery that went with it, was not due to any particular evil in his life. Further in his begging we can see an earnest desire for blessing. Such earnestness should always be an ingredient of prayer. Then in the way he asked for healing, the leper showed that he had faith in the power of Jesus to heal him. He seemed to have no doubt of this. His one fear was that Jesus may not see fit to help him.

We are taught to kneel as the right posture in prayer. We would be right to say that kneeling is not actually obligatory, but it can not be denied that it embodies the qualities that this leper showed, of humility, of confession of sin and unworthiness, and earnestness in throwing oneself on the mercy of God. Whatever our progress in the spiritual life, we may rightly come in prayer with the confidence of faith in the death of Jesus for us, but we must never cease to come humbly as this leper, depending on mercy alone. Further without faith we can not please God, so faith must always be there.

The other lesson from the leper is his disobedience to the instructions of Jesus. This has a very powerful message today when we see the emphasis so often given to miraculous healing and the telling of the stories of people who have been healed. Jesus told the healed man to tell nobody of his healing. This seems at first sight an extraordinary command. We would think that the publicity would make people believe on Jesus. In fact it did not. What it did was to cause people to seek out Jesus for similar blessings of physical and temporal healing, and such was the number of people occupying Jesus with their bodily needs, that Jesus was hindered in his proper work of preaching the Gospel. People did not come to Jesus for their souls but simply for their bodies. They sought the blessing which perishes rather than the blessing which was unto eternal life. The same thing happens today. Great care is needed in testimonies to miraculous healing.

Then we have wonderful lessons about Jesus, which must strengthen faith and nourish the soul. The first lesson is in the words "filled with compassion". This is ever the attitude of Jesus towards us in our need, even though circumstances may seem to be telling us otherwise. Jesus is always full of compassion towards us and his compassion is reaching out to love and deliver us. Never, never let the devil rob you of this truth and its comfort.

Then we have another testimony to the deity of Jesus in the divine power he exercised in the healing of the leper. By a word Jesus not only stopped the progress of the disease, clearing it from the body, but also restored the ravages the disease had made in the body of the leper. We can not have too many reminders of the fact that Jesus is our God.

Then we see the infinite wisdom of Jesus in his instructions to the leper. He was told to obey the Jewish law concerning the validating his healing. So important for the lepers good, but so easily neglected. Also the wisdom of Jesus in the command not to spread the news of his healing. We can't see the wisdom in this instruction even today, and in consequence so many people are not really finding salvation, and only believe in Jesus as healer of temporal ills.

Lastly we have the spiritual lesson which is so often and so rightly drawn from this story. Leprosy is such a good illustration of the spiritual sickness of sin in all of us. Sin like leprosy afflicts the whole of us, our actions, our emotions, our will, our bodies and souls. There is no part of us it does not effect. Only Jesus can heal this sickness, but like the lepers healing, Jesus is the complete healer. Through his work for us, he not only frees us from all the guilt and condemnation of sin, but he also heals the consequences of sin. Punishment from God is removed, and a new principle of life is born within us for we are born again, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. This is true even though we continue to sin because of our sinful flesh. Jesus puts his Spirit within us and has also pledged that he will never cease the healing until we are safe and totally clean in his heavenly glory.

How great, compassionate and wonderful a Saviour is our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who come to him for salvation he will say the same words as to the leper. I am willing; be clean.