Mark 1:40-45
40 A man with leprosy
came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."
41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "
I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
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.Intro:
My Queen Sharon and I have a favorite show that we like to watch called “extreme make over”. On this show, lives for desperate family members are saved, as teams of people who have compassion for helping others, come to their homes and re-build them all over again.
Many of these recipients of the make over have been devastated by life’s unwanted circumstances and are living in bad houses. But, when Mr. Ty Pennington and his team arrive they bring Joy to the desperate families and assistance to help them change the course of their troubles and begin living life afresh.
This is a spiritual picture of what Jesus does in the life of humanity, everyday. Except he does not just rebuild the (earthly life) home, he transforms the mind, soul, spirit and body. (Man cannot do this) His make over last all of eternity. Ty Pennington’s team will build something that will stand for a few seasons, but Jesus changes lives that will l
Text Background:
It is the first year of the Masters earthly ministry. Jesus has been going through the country side of Capernaum of Galilee healing the sick, casting out devils and doing miracles of all kinds. Never, had there been a teacher or preacher like him. Crowds are gathering and waiting in long lines to get touched by the Master. (
They are looking for an extreme make over)
Today we see him entering into another village looking for lost souls to minister to, when HE runs into a man with a serious condition called Leprosy.
40 A man with leprosy
came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."
- This man was a victim of a terrible disease
- This man was a victim of the pains of life
- This man was a victim of injustice in his body
- This man was a victim of terrible circumstances
- This man had a problem that he just couldn’t cure
- This man was held hostage by a terrorist in his own body
- This man had a fatal disease, and was dying as the result of it.
What is Leprosy?
There were two types of Leprosy at that time in Northern Palestine. One of them was a very bad skin disease. Because of the need to control the spread of a disease for which there was no cure, the law required that a leper be isolated from the rest of society (Lev 13:45-46). They were forced to live in what was called as Leopard camps. These camps usually were on the outside of the villages in a remote place where no one was allowed to visit. It is said that some families who were able to help their loved ones would go to the edge of the village and bring food to their loved ones that they might eat. (But they were forbidden to have any contact with them) The bible say’s because of their sin and rebellion against God, mankind has inherited death, disease, pain, sickness, murder, deceit, loneliness, grief, anxiety, sorrows, and despair. This text is a picture of the whole world that is contaminated with sin. Every man woman boy and girl has this fatal disease. All of us will die because of it. In fact the bible says that the wages of sin is death.
This disease called sin is fatal, and because of it you and I must also endure its terrible side effects.
Sin is so awful It makes you do things that you never thought that you would do.
Application:
This sin has devastated the planet. From Africa, Asia, America, Canada, Australia, Russia to Europe. All have been pronounced guilty or “Unclean” By a Holy God.
This mans disease is a picture for us of a bigger disease in the world today. The disease is called sin. Sin is a chronic condition of the soul. It first came to us through Adam and Eve and it has affected all of humanity.
Families lost daddies, providers, sons, daughters, mothers, uncles and aunts. It was a disease that separated loved ones for ever. It was mean, cruel, devastating, and wicked. It was caused by sin.
In addition to this, the leper was required to wear mourning clothes, leave his hair in disorder, keep his beard covered and cry "Unclean! Unclean!" so everyone could avoid him. As long as the disease lasted, he was to live in isolation away from other people (Lev 13:45-46).
The other was one that began as a small spot on the skin, but rapidly ate away at the flesh, until the suffering patient was left with only the “stump of a hand or a leg” It was literally a living death.”
Leprosy is a chronic, infectious disease characterized by sores, scabs, and white shining spots beneath the skin.
- It makes you go to places that you never thought that you would go to.
- It makes you say things that you never thought you would say.
- It makes you wish you were never born.
- It makes men think they are women, and women think they are men.
- Sin is so awful;
- It makes people kill one another
- It makes countries go to war
- It makes mothers kill their babies
- It makes children kill their parents
- It makes people steal to eat
- It makes the rich starve the poor
- It makes you put crack on the pipe
- Sin is so awful;
- It makes you drink your way through life
- It makes you mistreat the stranger
- It makes a man leave his wife
- It makes a wife cheat on her husband
- It makes the stranger violate the little child
- It makes the white hate the black, and the black hate the white
- Sin is so awful;
- It makes a young man desire another man
- It makes a young woman desire another woman
- It takes your mind, saturates your heart and gives you a wicked appetite for all the things that are forbidden by God
- You are born dead spiritually, and continue to die physically while you live
Textual Observation
- This young man had a problem he couldn’t fix
- He had a disease he couldn’t cure
- He had been forced to live in a community, he couldn’t change
- They were all leopards and were all rejected and despised
- He was alone in His pain, isolated in his problem, and discouraged because of his position.
- He was living alive on death row. Death was knocking, despair was hunting him down, and delusion and decay were drowning him in despair.
He needed a make over, he needed a new chance, and he needed a new beginning. If he could only start over again, things would be different. If he only had a Savior, who could fix his situation, life would be worth living.
Somebody reading this blog is just like this Leopard. Sin has got your number and your address. You too are filled with the Leprosy of sin. (Rebellion against God and His word) You find yourself dying while you live.
You are in pain and can’t find a cure. You are suffering and living in isolation all by yourself. Those around you can’t help you, because they got it also. Just like the leopard you have inherited something that you can’t cure. You need help for your situation, there is only one cure, and His Name is Jesus.
I don’t know where he was when he heard about Jesus but when he heard what he heard, he did something about what he heard about.
Somebody had to tell him about the Master who could heal the sick. Somebody had to tell him of the Master who had power over the underworld. Somebody had to point out the Master, because when he heard of him he believed that If Jesus could do it for somebody else, than maybe, he could do it for him too. His faith and Hope in Jesus made Him bow down and worship Him (begged him to make him clean) He did not cry out unclean, unclean. He cried out instead for Mercy. “He said Jesus, Master” IF YOU WANT TO you can make me clean. He said to himself, I already got the report that you are a healer, so I know you can do for me what others have had done. He said in so many words, you already know I am unclean and I am dying, this is not new news to you. So if you want to, you can make me clean.
I know you have the power, I know you have the authority, I know you have the ability, I know you have the sovereignty, if you want to you can make me clean. The power to heal is yours, the power to save is yours, the power to resurrect the dead is yours, the power to revive is yours, if you want to you can make me clean. Touching this leopard was a sure sign of commitment, compassion and concern. Jesus was on earth because of compassion. Jesus was on earth because of His concern for mankind. He has a desire to heal those who were sick and need of a healer. I'm glad today that Jesus gives "Make Overs" aren't you? He has made me over, and now I am telling everyone I know about the God of Heaven and earth, who makes all brand new.
