Post by foxjj on Jun 28, 2023 6:54:39 GMT
Be Clean
"A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man."I am willing," he said."Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: "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." 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. (Mark 1:40-45)
The plea from the leper; "If you are willing, you can make me clean" was answered by a personal touch from Jesus of Nazareth. To the onlookers this was most unusual because leprosy was contagious, and a leper was deemed untouchable. After touching the leper, Jesus proclaimed "I am willing, be clean." With these words we again see the heart of Jesus reaching out to a hurting individual. For some leprosy was a treatable disease, and in Leviticus Ch.14 there is an eighth day cleansing ceremony that was required before the priest could declare a leper clean.
Why did Jesus command the now healed leper to go and show himself to the priest using the words "for a proof to them"? A person with leprosy was not allowed to enter the Temple until a priest had declared him clean. By showing himself to a priest and telling of what Jesus had done for him, the now healthy man was asking the priest to offer the required sacrifices on his behalf. The priest was then required to proclaim the man clean, thus authenticating the healing that had been performed by Jesus.
The now clean leper was so overjoyed and grateful, that he was unable to keep from proclaiming what Jesus had done for him. I can understand the desire to tell of his healing, because I also wanted to share with everyone how Jesus had touched, and cleansed me from my sins. The words of Peter became real where he wrote: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you." (1 Peter 1:3-4) Praise be to His Holy Name, all who have experienced a touch from Jesus have been granted a living hope, and our inheritance is eternity in Heaven.
Today, let us thank our God for second chances.
John Joseph Fox.
"A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man."I am willing," he said."Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: "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." 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. (Mark 1:40-45)
The plea from the leper; "If you are willing, you can make me clean" was answered by a personal touch from Jesus of Nazareth. To the onlookers this was most unusual because leprosy was contagious, and a leper was deemed untouchable. After touching the leper, Jesus proclaimed "I am willing, be clean." With these words we again see the heart of Jesus reaching out to a hurting individual. For some leprosy was a treatable disease, and in Leviticus Ch.14 there is an eighth day cleansing ceremony that was required before the priest could declare a leper clean.
Why did Jesus command the now healed leper to go and show himself to the priest using the words "for a proof to them"? A person with leprosy was not allowed to enter the Temple until a priest had declared him clean. By showing himself to a priest and telling of what Jesus had done for him, the now healthy man was asking the priest to offer the required sacrifices on his behalf. The priest was then required to proclaim the man clean, thus authenticating the healing that had been performed by Jesus.
The now clean leper was so overjoyed and grateful, that he was unable to keep from proclaiming what Jesus had done for him. I can understand the desire to tell of his healing, because I also wanted to share with everyone how Jesus had touched, and cleansed me from my sins. The words of Peter became real where he wrote: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you." (1 Peter 1:3-4) Praise be to His Holy Name, all who have experienced a touch from Jesus have been granted a living hope, and our inheritance is eternity in Heaven.
Today, let us thank our God for second chances.
John Joseph Fox.