Now that You are Clean Sabbath, August 23, 2014

Mark 1:40-45 40 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. 41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

Mark 1:40-45 42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. 43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

Mark 1:40-45 44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

Mark 1:40-45 45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

The book of Mark begins with blazing speed The book of Mark begins with blazing speed. Soon after Jesus calls his disciples, he begins teaching with authority and healing the sick and possessed. He speaks of the scripture as if he wrote it. The scribes and pharisees are highly offended. That was just the first day. In the morning, he compelled his disciples to go to the next town.

As Jesus was moving throughout Galilee, some lepers who’d heard about what Jesus was doing, came to see if he would cleanse them. Verse 40 says that there was one who kneeled down and said “If you want to, I know you can make me clean.” Jesus was so moved that he immediately said “I will.”

This man who’d likely gone years without a touch from a normal human being, received a touch from God himself. That same hand that touched dirt and it became Adam; that same hand that touched Peter’s mother in law just the day before released “numa,” that same substance, whatever it is that comes from God to heal us, touched this leper. And something went through the inside.

Can you imagine being this man who had grown to expect nothing but sorrow and rejection is now looking at fresh baby skin. He’d heard Namen the leper’s visit to Elisha but it seemed like fairy tails. He probably asked at some point “How come we don’t see the miracles that we saw back then.” Now, when he looks at his own hands, he sees the power of God.

In verse 44, Jesus charged the man go show himself to the priest but on the way, don’t say anything to anyone. Don’t look to the left or to the right. Why wouldn’t he allow him to say anything? Of course, it was a Levitical requirement but I believe that it was more than that. Everybody won’t be happy about your deliverance. Everyone doesn’t come to your sick bed to wish you well. Some people just want to know if you’re dead yet. It doesn’t matter how kissing up you do, there will never accept you as clean.

Now that they are clean, there is another element to Jesus’ command Now that they are clean, there is another element to Jesus’ command. He said “Go and show yourself to the priest.” This confused me. Why would He send them to a type when they were looking at the original. Why would He send them to an earthly priest when they were talking to both prophet, priest and king? Why show yourself to a man who has to seek God when you’re standing before God? And look at who these priests were -

John 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said unto them, If ye were Abrahams children, ye would do the works of Abraham. They were already offended by the tone that Jesus took. Later they would claim in John 8 that they were never in bondage and that Abraham was their father. Although Jesus had referred to the Pharisees as snakes and sons of Satan, he still had compassion toward them. So commands the lepers to go and present themselves as evidence of His power.

In many ways, the lepers were in a better position than the Pharisees In many ways, the lepers were in a better position than the Pharisees. At least they knew that they were sick. Some people come to church and get healed and then become the most bitter, judgmental people in the church. That’s how the Jews felt about the Samaritans. Can you imagine how the priest felt when they had to pronounce a Samaritan clean after Jesus healed him?

Perhaps, you’ve been the butt of the joke, misunderstood, cast to the side and just feeling unworthy in general. And one day hope showed up at your door. You figured out that deliverance was just a prayer away. No matter what you’ve done, God is certain that you can be made whole. And His vote is the only one that counts. Why are begging people to understand you? Why are spending energy on someone who doesn’t have a vote on future?

In Testimonies to the Church, Volume 3, the inspired writing says that the only difference between the miracles of then and now is belief. Do you believe that God can heal?

Now that you are clean