TEXT: Mark 1:40-45

SUBJECT: Meeting the Lord #2: The Leper of Galilee

The story takes place somewhere in Galilee. Our Lord is there to preach the Word, to cast out demons, and to heal the sick. The day before He had done all three in Capernaum--with spectacular success.

The people are eager for more, but He cannot oblige them at the moment. He must preach elsewhere; and so, very early, He and the disciples quit Capernaum for another town. Before they get there, however, they are met by a desperate man.

Who is he? He is a leper. Leprosy was a common disease at the time--and a fearful one, too. It ate away at the flesh, causing terrible pain and a revolting stench. What's worse: Leprosy isolated one from the people of God and barred Him from the Divine Worship. His quarantine was not the result of man's hysteria or prejudice, but of God's will. Leviticus 13:45: "The leper...shall cry `Unclean! Unclean!'". Numbers 5:2: "Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper..."

The leper comes to our Lord seeking a favor; he wants to be healed. Can He do that? The leper knows He can! But, is He willing to do it? The leper's not so sure of that. But he is bold and hopeful enough to ask: "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean".

Is He willing? Yes He is: "Be cleansed" is the command. What happens? "Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed".

The man no doubt leaps for joy! But the Lord isn't through with him just yet. He must "show [himself] to the priest". Why? To regain his place among the people of God, for the priest only could pronounce him "clean".

And one more thing: "See that you say nothing to anyone". The Lord has imposed a gag order on the man; he can't discuss the case with anyone. He mustn't say Who healed him, how, or why.

But the man is so excited that he "went out and proclaimed it freely, and to spread the matter". The KJV has him, "Blazing it abroad"--running with the speed of a wildfire on dry grass.

Soon, everyone in Galilee knew what Christ had done for the leper. What does Mark think of this?

The result: Our Lord could no longer enter cities and preach the Word, for He was now swamped with sick people seeking the cure.

This is the story, and quite a story it is. What issue does it raise? What concern does it address? Several things could be said with profit.

We can see, for example, that Jesus Christ cares about our health. When He saw a man covered with running sores, He "was moved with compassion". Not just for his soul, but for his body, too. This means praying for health is not a carnal thing to do, but a good thing. "Is any afflicted among you? Let him pray". "Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you". If the Psalmist could "Bless the LORD...who heals all your diseases", we can too. This is true and important. But not the "big idea" of our passage.

How about this? Zeal must always be tempered with obedience. Some believers think all God wants from us is enthusiasm. He does want that, but not only that. He wants our enthusiasm to be guided by His Word. He said that long ago, didn't He?

"To obey is better than sacrifice

And to heed than the fat of rams".

He says it again here. We understand the leper's out-of-control joy; we sympathize with it; we'd do the same ourselves. But we cannot approve of it. It was understandable, but wrong. That is also true and a good lesson to learn. But not the one taught here.

What, then, is the issue? The Gospel is our Lord's #1 priority.

Our Lord wants to heal people; He wants to cast our demons; He wants to raise the dead; He wants to "go about doing good". But He wants to do something else more than these. He tells us what it is in v.38: "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth".

Not everyone likes this priority, but no one who reads the Gospels can doubt that's what it is. Our Lord's first public act is described in v.14: "Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the Gospel..." At the end, He told Pilate, "For this cause came I into the world, to bear witness to the truth". He was never side-tracked from it.

The Gospel is our Lord's priority.

How does this apply to us? To believers, the applications are many and obvious.

The Religious Right wants us to influence the culture for God. This is a good thing. But it cannot be our priority. For, if we succeeded in outlawing abortion, getting pornography off the internet, or prayer back into schools, what would we have? We would have the United States of 1950. And it--no less than the US of today--is under the Divine Curse! "Whoever does not believe is condemned already, for he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God". These issues must be addressed from the inside out! "Make the tree good and the fruit will be good". How is the "tree made good"? Through the Gospel!

The local church can also forget "why it's here". Conservative churches often become fortresses--guarding its people from the world, rather than equipping them to preach the Gospel to the world! This is seen in the time and energy spent on secondary issues, on sectarian matters, on theological hair-splitting, and so on. The Church isn't an igloo; it's a "candlestick". What light does it shine into the world? "The light of the glorious gospel of Christ".

The Gospel must be a personal priority. Some churches and ministries advocate personal evangelism to the point of neglecting everything else. This is wrong. But is it any less wrong to stress everything else to the point of neglecting personal evangelism? The Early believers "went everywhere gossiping the Word". They didn't see it as Arminian or shallow or para-church or the like. They "could not but speak the things they had seen and heard". Can we?

The Gospel must be a priority at home. It tells men how to treat their wives. And to rear their children. Not with a lordliness, but by the sacrifice of yourself for their good. So many Christians think "the paddle" is the key to family living under God. It isn't! Only the Gospel brings us to God and to holiness. Evangelize your children; plead with them to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.

The Gospel is the believer's priority. But not the believer's only. It is "the one thing needful" for the unbeliever, too.

Unbelievers do not need counseling on "how to live the Christian life". It does them more harm than good. What the sinner needs is the Gospel. If you would live the Christian life and know its holiness, its joys, its hope, you must come to the Christian's Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

He invites you freely in the Gospel. "If any man thirsts, let him come to Me and drink!" No qualifications are required; no preparation is needed. Just come. As you are. Now.

Come to Christ in faith. Faith is not a work; it's an anti-work! Faith comes to the Lord saying, "I cannot save myself! Lord, You save me!"

He will. "He who comes to Me--is the promise--"I will in no wise cast out". Jesus Christ isn't choosy about the sort of people He saves. He hasn't said "No" to anyone yet. And never will. That means He won't say "no" to you. For "all the promises of God in Him are `Yes' and `Amen'".

Don't be satisfied with "knowing stuff about the Bible". That will do you no good at the moment. Be eager for one thing--one thing only--Jesus Christ, "Delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification".

"Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean". He was willing to cleanse that man's body. He is even more willing to cleanse your soul. Ask Him to. He will. God help us, for Christ's sake. Amen.