Prophetic Agenda
The Leper Paradox
The gospel of Mark is crammed full of amazing stories that shout for your attention. No matter how you look at it, the story in Chapter 1:40-45 demands forensic attention. It’s easy to pass over it, skim reading as we do to get to whatever encouragement we are looking for, but this warrants a deliberate pause.
What do the rich young ruler, the Samaritan woman, the centurion’s servant and the woman caught in adultery all have in common? They are all individuals who contribute to the narrative of the gospel, but their name is unknown, their identity is taken from what they did or who they were. There are a few others too, including the thief on the cross.
We have another one here; a man afflicted with leprosy, encountered Jesus was Healed, and was immediately transformed into an enthusiastic proclaimer of the good news. Leper-man is a story that inspires, encourages, and challenges modern-day Christians in our approach to sharing the Gospel. Although his name remains unknown, his passionate heart and subsequent actions speak volumes to us today.
In the first-century Jewish culture, leprosy was a dreaded disease that resulted not just in terrible physical suffering, but also in profound social ostracization. The Law mandated a life of seclusion for lepers (Leviticus 13:46). The man’s disease, therefore, symbolises more than physical illness – it is a tangible expression for us, of our spiritual condition before encountering Christ: totally isolated, unclean, and desperately needing redemption.
Encounter with Jesus: Healing and Transformation
Approaching Jesus, the man kneels, imploring Him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” He recognises both Jesus’ authority and His power to heal. It’s a faith deeply grounded in the recognition of Jesus’ ability to transform, but shows an understandable uncertainty of His willingness. Life is against him, so is the law, but maybe, just maybe Jesus… He speaks for many of us, articulating our doubts and fears, revealing our faith’s fragility when confronting insurmountable challenges.
Jesus’ response provides an encouraging, faith-stirring emphatic answer to our doubts. He is moved with compassion. Isn’t that what you need? You might be in that place where what you need is not so much justice, vindication or even forgiveness – nothing touches you more deeply than the Lord’s compassion.
Jesus stretches out His hand, breaking societal and religious norms, and touches the man, saying, “I will; be clean.” Here, we see the heart of God exposed, torn wide open, a full disclosure – full of compassion, brimming with the desire to restore and heal. Sitting there where you are, you witness the willingness of God to touch and transform lives.
There is real power here; Jesus’ words effect immediate healing, demonstrating His full, unrestricted authority over sickness. The transformative power of His touch cleanses the man, restoring him physically and, in a double whammy, socially. The leprosy left him immediately, and now the man who was once isolated is now clean and ready to be fully reintegrated into society.
The Healed Leper: An Uncontainable Passion for Sharing
The story could end there, but what follows this miracle showcases the heart of the Healed Leper – a heart ignited with a passion that couldn’t be contained. What is God’s will for your life? Haven’t we all considered we would just love Jesus to tell us what to do next as certain junctures in life?
This narrative is in the scripture for a reason, as with all of Mark’s gospel everything proceeds like an episode of 24, the drama building and building. Jesus gives the man who is no longer a leper specific instruction: maintain silence about the healing, show himself to the priest, and offer the requisite sacrifice according to Mosaic Law. It is a directive not merely for religious adherence but also to provide irrefutable evidence to the religious leaders, and simply, so simply, having done what is required, finger on lips and say, nothing. Zilch. Keep stum.
Intriguingly, the healed man disobeys Jesus. Instead of quiet obedience, he becomes an exuberant evangelist, openly sharing his story and spreading the news of his transformation everywhere. This act, though seemingly disobedient, demonstrates an irrepressible desire to share the Good News, a passion and example for all of us to emulate. We were all (spiritually speaking) lepers at one point in our lives.
Mark, far from endorsing disobedience, also highlights it and invites us to examine the man’s compelling desire to witness. Despite Jesus’ caution, the man simply cannot help but proclaim his life-changing encounter. His boldness is exemplary – he seizes the opportunity to share his testimony, not weighed down by the conventions of his time or his previous status as an outcast. Jesus touched him, and he is not the man he used to be.
John Wesley quipped that “Catch on fire and people will come for miles to see you burn.” This healed leper embodied that sentiment. His newfound health didn’t just translate to personal freedom but became a spark igniting a flame of witness that the cultural winds could not extinguish. He didn’t just enjoy his healing; he used it to point others to the source of his transformation.
We can glean much from this unnamed man. We may not share his physical ailment, but we can share his fiery passion for proclaiming the Gospel. The amazing story invites and compels us to embody the heart of this healed leper – a heart filled with awe and gratitude for the transformation we’ve received, and an insatiable desire to share this good news with the world.
It’s painfully easy to be stifled by complacency, indifference, or fear of rejection, yet here we see an example of a man so stirred by his encounter with Christ that he cannot help but tell others.
This man, once a leper, became a beacon of hope, a passionate evangelist whose actions spoke louder than his words.
For us, the yearning to share the Gospel, to tell the story about our transformation and hope before others is a precious sign of God’s work in our hearts.It’s not just a matter of ‘repent and believe the good news about Jesus’ we also want to encourage one another to broadcast it loudly!
In a time where the Christian witness can sometimes feel muted, content, or indifferent, our hearts are gently beckoned to embrace the fervour of the healed leper. The not-a-leper life story invites us to prioritise the expression of our faith, and to live such transformed lives, so deeply touched by the grace of Christ, that we are simply compelled to share our journey.
Passion and Obedience: Lessons from the Healed Leper
Before we finish this fantastic story it has to be said that while the emphasis of my blog post focused on the leper’s transformation and passion for sharing his story, it is essential to address another significant truth that might have been under-emphasised: the role of obedience in our walk of faith.
When Jesus instructed the healed leper to “say nothing to anyone,” it was not a casual suggestion but a stern command. In the Greek, the verb used means to be sternly charged or warned. This strong reaction suggests that Jesus’ instruction was of utmost importance; the man’s disobedience, despite his well-intentioned enthusiasm, resulted in Jesus’ ministry being hindered.
We may be tempted to think that disobedience in a small matter really won’t affect us too much. Surely God isn’t going to be bothered by something so inconsequential, especially if our motives are good. But in reality, we never have good motives for any act of disobedience, and the consequences aren’t lessened by our attempt to diminish its size.
In our excitement and zeal, we may sometimes rush ahead of God’s plan, believing our way is the best way to advance His kingdom. The healed leper’s story serves as a reminder that our passion, while commendable, must always be coupled with obedience to God’s instructions. Passion and obedience for God are not mutually exclusive but are meant to work in harmony in our lives as Christians. The healed leper’s story not only calls us to be bold in sharing the Gospel but also urges us to pay heed to God’s instructions in our life, even when they don’t align with our own understanding.
The post The Leper Paradox first appeared on Prophetic Agenda and is written by Jon Cressey
