Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy: Mark 1:40-45
40 A
man with leprosy[h] came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are
willing, you can make me clean.”
41 Jesus
was indignant.[i] He reached out his hand and
touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy
left him and he was cleansed.
43 Jesus
sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But
go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses
commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and
began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer
enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people
still came to him from everywhere.
In today’s world with
wars, famines, disease, some people doubt that God is invested in this earth
anymore and they ask: “Where are the miracles of God?” Beloved, I bring you
good news today in the fact that miracles do occur and that God is truly at
work in this world He created.
Yes, miracles are
occurring that you and I may not be able to see, because God is working these
miracles through His people: “The Body of Christ!” If we look back on the
miracles of Christ, we see that he didn't want to be known for his miracles.
When we see Christ healing the man from leprosy, we see Jesus asking him not to tell
anyone.
Beloved,
Christ did not want to be known as a magician or a circus performer. Jesus
wanted to be known as God’s Son who would come as the suffering servant who was
sent to die for our sins. Christ came to re-establish our relationship with his
Father, and he wanted us to be a faithful people through our love of God and
one another.
Yes,
miracles happen every day, but God wants us to base our faith on our
relationships with Him, rather than the miracles that He is conducting in this world. If you want
to see a miracle occur today, my prayer is that you be the hands and feet of
Christ, and feed, cloth, and nurture those that are truly in need. Help those
that don’t know Christ, to come into relationship with him.
Let
us place our faith relationships ever stronger and more powerful in God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, focused on the healing miracle of salvation through Jesus
Christ instead of focusing on other healing s and miracles.
