The Kingdom of God Marches On

Mark 1:40-45

As He was traveling and ministering, Jesus is met by a leper. This encounter is startling, provocative, and even offensive. A leper was a man whom the culture considered an outcast, the law judged unclean, and the people deemed cursed by God. Even one with AIDS today fares far better than the leper of the first century. A leper was to stay at least 50 paces from others. That he came near to Jesus, so close that Jesus could touch him, was unthinkable.

The word for leprosy covered a number of skin diseases (including what we today call “Hansen’s Disease”), each of which was difficult to diagnose and heal. The person with the disease was mocked and shunned. The leper had to wear torn clothes, leave his hair unkempt, cover his face, and cry out “Unclean!” He was forced to live in isolation. Josephus said a leper was “in no way differing from a corpse” (Antiquities, 3.264).

Leviticus 13-14 discusses the disease. It was usually regarded as an evidence of divine punishment. As such, the cure could only come from the Lord. Other illnesses could be healed, but leprosy had to be both healed and cleansed. Needless to say, no one in the Bible healed a leper by touch other than Jesus.

Warren Wiersbe notes, “When you read the ‘tests’ for leprosy in Leviticus 13, you can see how the disease is a picture of sin. Like sin, leprosy is deeper than the skin (v. 3); it spreads (vv. 5-8); it defiles and isolates (vv. 44-46); and it renders things fit only for the fire (vv. 47-59). Anyone who has never trusted the Savior is spiritually in worse shape than this man was physically” (Be Diligent, 19).

37All of this makes it remarkable that the leper came to Jesus. He violated every convention and custom of society in that day. He was desperate, and he believed only Jesus could heal him and make him clean. He came, knelt, and begged, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Wow! His faith is astounding! The issue is not whether Jesus could heal him, but would He? This man comes to Jesus with great courage, great humility, and great faith—the same way we, as sin-sick sinners, must come to Him. He came believing in the only One who could change his life and make him whole.

Surprisingly and scandalously, Jesus makes the unclean clean! Rather than turning away from the man, He turns to him with compassion and touches him, thereby removing his curse, taking away his shame, and removing his defilement. As the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53:4, He takes on Himself the infirmities of this man, cleanses him, and makes him whole! Jesus’ touch speaks louder than words ever could, yet His words must have thrilled this man’s soul: “I am willing.” Unlike any ordinary man, the Lord Jesus is not polluted by the leper’s disease when He touches him. Instead, the leper is cleansed by the gracious touch and contagious holiness of the Son of God.

It is not surprising that Jesus sends the man to a local priest, according to the ritual for cleansing in Leviticus 14. What is surprising is the stern charge and quick exit Jesus demands. He sends him packing with a command to keep his mouth shut. Jesus does not want persons who merely seek miracles. He wants followers who seek Him! People are always tempted by the sensational. Jesus desires followers who long for truth and want to know Him. He does not want people to come to Him to get what they want. He wants people to come to Him to get Him!

The leper went and talked freely about what Jesus had done. We can understand his enthusiasm. We cannot, however, justify his disregard of our Lord’s clear command. He talked of it everywhere. This caused a restriction on Jesus’ preaching ministry, as He “could no longer enter a town openly.” He again frequented “deserted places” (cf. 1:35). Still, the people “would come to Him from everywhere.” What Mark will say in 7:24 is already true now: “He could not escape notice.”

Ironically, Jesus and the leper have traded places. The leper is now on the inside with family and friends. Jesus is on the outside in a lonely and desolate place. This picture of substitution is the heart of the gospel. It is why Jesus came. He will take on Himself our sin, our sorrow, and our shame. In return He gives us His forgiveness, His holiness, and His righteousness—praise the Lord! What an exchange!

The rabbis said that it was as difficult to heal the leper as it was to raise the dead. Both are impossible for man; neither is a problem for God’s Son. He cleanses the defiled and raises the dead by a simple touch or a simple word. He truly touches lives and makes them whole. He did that for me. Has He done that for you?