Ray Yates writes:
Mark 1.40-45
I’ve been challenged by reading Mark’s Gospel, especially from the point that Jesus’ ministry should shape the mission of the church. We see that Jesus public ministry was fast paced, and there is real sense of urgency. Mark’s Gospel seems to focus on what Jesus did and focuses less on what Jesus taught.
The people saw something radically different about Jesus’ ministry. The people were ‘amazed’ at Jesus’ authority & power!
There is something else we need to recapture if we are to align our mission with that of Jesus: COMPASSION.
40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
The man with leprosy knew Jesus could heal him, what he wasn’t sure about, was whether Jesus was willing to.
What is Jesus’ reaction to this uncertainty? Indignation (other translations say: filled with compassion, pity even anger.) What is clear is that Jesus cared deeply and couldn’t believe that this poor man with leprosy could doubt Jesus’ willingness to heal him. There is a huge gap between knowing God can heal & believing that He wants to heal.
Jesus didn’t just heal the man with leprosy-Jesus touched him! I can’t even imagine how good Jesus’ touch must have felt to this poor leper! After being excluded, feeling dirty Jesus’ touch was part of the healing; healing is often more than physical, it is emotional. Healing is about experiencing God’s touch of love. We need to touch lives with love.
Jesus’ love & compassion broke down barriers, while the religion of Jesus’ day (and today) creates barriers: who is clean, who is in or out….
The healed leper is given this command: See that you don’t tell this to anyone. Well of course the leper does exactly the opposite he tells everyone!
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.
You can’t keep the lid on deep gratitude/thankfulness! You can try, but when something really good happens it is written all over your face. What is surprising is that the church today, for the most part, manages to keep a lid on the amazing love of God. It is not surprising when good news spreads (that’s what happens), what is surprising is when Good News doesn’t spread. We need to reconnect with the good news.
So much of my ministry has been about trying to hold on to God’s willingness to heal; this hasn’t always been easy.
Much of my pastoral ministry was navigating the gap (trying to decrease the gap) between believing in both God ‘s power to heal and His willingness to heal & working to see that healing in my ministry. I can say with 200% honesty that this is a painful place to be.
There was a lady who we prayed for 7 years. I prayed for her, we prayed for her corporately as a church. I would often meet with her husband for one to one Bible studies - there was such faith & pain. Those times together were amongst the most painful, faith full & deeply moving of my ministry… the lady lost the fight (but she won the victory because she held on to her faith). In all the tears, the pain, confusion, there were many times she experienced the touch of Jesus in such amazing ways.
I still believe in both God’s power to heal & willingness to heal and that God touches lives with love and wants to heal a broken world.
Revd Ray Yates