Greetings, Beloved,
Today, let’s look at an incident involving a leper, highlighting Jesus’ willingness to heal him:
“And a leper came to Jesus, pleading with Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, ‘If You are willing, You can make me clean.’”
— Mark 1:40
Mark records for us this account of the leper being healed. In Mark’s description, we see how desperate this person was for healing. It is likely that the leper had tried everything within his capacity to find healing. Finally, he found Jesus.
Leprosy was a severe ailment during that time. The Old Testament gave instructions to the Levites on how to handle leprosy, from diagnosis to containment. This illness was looked down upon by society, and those found to have leprosy were isolated from the community.
“When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling or a scab or a bright spot, and it becomes an infection of leprosy on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. Then the priest shall look at the mark on the skin of the body, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is an infection of leprosy; when the priest has looked at him, he shall pronounce him unclean.”
— Leviticus 13:2-3
Leprosy was so severe that people were not allowed to touch or interact with lepers.
“It is a chronic leprosy on the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; he shall not isolate him, for he is unclean.”
— Leviticus 13:11
This situation is similar to the struggles we often face. We find ourselves desperate for healing, restoration, direction, or purpose. Like the leper, it is natural for us to run in all directions, searching for help. It is common for us to put our faith in the solutions the world offers—money, science, people around us, or even social media.
Unfortunately, we sometimes forget that we have a Lord who can save us. We have seen how Jesus has authority over all sickness. In times of desperation, the wisest choice is to turn to Him.
Moreover, we should not seek Jesus only in times of desperation. Instead, we should make it a lifestyle—an act of worship—to seek Him day and night.
Another important point is the leper’s request to Christ. He asked, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Despite being declared unclean and isolated from society, this leper still had faith in Jesus’ ability to heal him.
Here is another consideration: Sometimes, we might view our problems as too big for Jesus. We lack faith in His ability to heal us. We find ourselves in the same place as those James warns against—those who ask God for wisdom but doubt His ability to give it.
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith, doubting nothing, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
— James 1:5-8
Unlike the leper, sometimes we go to Jesus asking for help, healing, and restoration, but we doubt His ability to heal us. James later emphasizes the importance of a prayer of faith:
“Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.”
— James 5:14-15
As believers, we must be cautious when we approach Christ in prayer. Prayer should always be accompanied by faith. When we pray to God, we must have faith in both His existence and His ability to answer. Faith is, indeed, the substance of things hoped for:
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
— Hebrews 11:1
When the leper came to Jesus, he came having heard of the amazing miracles Jesus had performed. By this time, he had seen or heard about Jesus’ healing miracles:
“And He went, preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee and casting out the demons.”
— Mark 1:39
This tells us that when the leper came to Jesus, he was confident in Jesus’ ability to heal. Hearing about the things Jesus had done gave him assurance of Jesus’ power to heal.
We should approach God with similar confidence. When we seek His help, we must first believe that He can help us.
Next, we should remember that just because we ask for something, we should not expect God to do our will. Instead, we must understand that He works according to His own will. Mark’s narrative presents this idea by the way the leper asks for healing from Jesus. The leper appeals to Jesus’ willingness to heal him.
The leper did not demand or force Jesus to heal him. Instead, he humbled himself, bowed down at Jesus’ feet, and pleaded for healing. As he asked, he said, “If You are willing.” This simple statement shifted the decision from the leper to Jesus, who is sovereign.
The next verse tells us that the leper’s healing was in keeping with Jesus’ will. In other words, the leper was healed not just because he wanted to be healed but because Jesus was willing to heal him.
“And moved with compassion, He stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’”
— Mark 1:41
Mark tells us that Jesus was moved by compassion for the leper. This reveals more about Jesus’ emotional state—He felt compassion for the leper. The leper had been declared unclean and was likely isolated according to Levitical instructions.
Another surprising detail is how Jesus touched the leper. This would have been shocking to those around Him. According to the law, those declared unclean with leprosy were not supposed to be touched to avoid spreading the disease.
“As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his place of habitation shall be outside the camp.”
— Leviticus 13:45-46
Yet Jesus did not consider the leper’s uncleanness a limitation above His willingness to heal him. This is very much the case with our salvation. Even though we are fallen sinners who do not deserve to stand before a holy God, He reached out to us when we were dead in our sins and brought us back to life:
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
— Ephesians 2:4-6
Another important aspect we notice in this narrative is that when Jesus touched the leper, He was not made unclean. Instead, His touch made the leper clean. This reminds us that our God is so powerful and so holy that when we encounter Him, our uncleanness does not taint Him. Rather, His holiness transforms us, making us holy. As He told the children of Israel:
“And you shall keep My statutes and do them; I am Yahweh who makes you holy.”
— Leviticus 20:8
When we assume the position of the leper, we might doubt whether we are worthy to come before God, plead for life, and kneel at His feet. But this narrative shows us that our God is not indifferent to our suffering. He is ready to welcome us into His family if we come to Him with a humble and broken spirit, ready to repent of our sins and place our faith in Him. When we do this, we can be certain that, like the leper, we will be cleansed of our sins:
“And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.”
— Mark 1:42
I pray that this Word reminds us of our compassionate God, His ability to cleanse us, and His power to heal according to His will.
Peace be upon you.
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