Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing, be cleansed"

 

 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  

At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. 

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."   And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing, be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.   However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

 

- Mark 1:29-45 

 

Yesterday we read that after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."  And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.  Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

 

Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  Simon Peter and Andrew's family home would become a de facto headquarters for Jesus' Galilean ministry.  Here, we know Peter is married and has a family because of this story about his mother-in-law.  There is great symbolic value in Christ's gesture in that he took her by the hand and lifted her up; He expresses His compassion which is personal for each, and reminds us that through His love we may all be lifted up with Him (John 3:14-15, 12:32).  Here, Peter's mother-in-law is restored to her place of service to the Lord, a place of honor in her household.

At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  For the second time, Mark tells us that Jesus did not allow the demons to speak (see yesterday's reading, above, when Jesus says, "Be quiet, and come out of him!").  Jesus wants people to come to Him through faith not based solely on signs, and is wary both of the hostility He knows will come from the authorities and the popular expectation that the Messiah will be an earthly, political leader such as a powerful king who will deliver them from the Romans.

 

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."   And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.  My study Bible comments here that Jesus sets forth for us an example of spiritual life.  Although He is God incarnate, He prayed continually, frequently finding a solitary place, we're told, to be free of distraction, despite the multitude's need of Him.  Christ's ministry comes forth from His communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit and flows to people in their needs.  My study Bible adds that Christ's praying in the morning teaches us that we must put as first priority our commitment to God, and only then will we be equipped to serve others.  

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing, be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.   However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.  My study Bible points out for us that the biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13, 14; Deuteronomy 24:8 describes the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty entrusted to the priests.  Leprosy, it explains, was considered a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), but Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched the leper.  My study Bible says that this shows not only Christ's compassion, but also that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  To the clean, it says, nothing is unclean (see Romans 14:14).  Note also that Jesus tells the healed man to show himself to the priest, and do as Moses commanded.  This is offered as a testimony to them.  Cyril of Alexandria, commenting on this story as it appears in Luke's Gospel, suggests that the priests hold Moses to be great than Christ (the Messiah), yet Christ heals a leper immediately and with His own divine authority.  When Miriam, the sister of Moses, was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and still she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).

It's intriguing that Jesus sent the healed leper to a priest, not only to fulfill the law as commanded by Moses, but also as a testimony to them.  Note also that this is done even when Christ has twice now rebuked demons to be quiet so as not to reveal His messianic identity, and at the same time admonished the leper to say nothing to anyone, excepting the priest.  So this is a kind of window possibly showing us a beginning attempt by Jesus to communicate in a certain way with the religious authorities regarding what He does and who He is.  He is "fulfilling all righteousness" (Matthew 3:14-15) by instructing the healed man to follow the commands of Moses, and yet at the same time He instructs him to give a testimony to the priest about the healing by Jesus.  It suggests the possibility that Christ is finding a righteous and tentative way to begin to reveal His identity, beginning with the priests who hold authority within the religious establishment.  It is in the next reading, as we begin chapter 2 of Mark's Gospel, that Jesus will begin to receive criticism from the authorities for the manner in which He heals another, as well as challenges of blasphemy.  Thus the open conflict with the religious authorities over Jesus' ministry will begin.  But here, we may observe that Jesus is at once fully assuming the familiar role of compassionate Savior whom we know, by going outside of convention in touching a woman (Peter's mother-in-law), and violating the law by touching a leper, both in order to heal -- and at the same time seeking not to publicize what He is doing, but rather offering discreet testimony to the priest through the healed leper.  What we can infer about Jesus is that His ministry is going step-by-step, doing the things He must do to express God the Father as Incarnate Son.  That is, Christ's display of compassion, and the presence of the Kingdom in His healings, are clear testimony that if we see Him, we see the Father (John 14:9).  However, He does not engage in direct challenges to the religious authorities; if those challenges arise, it is in the context of the expression of compassion, the love which is the reality of God (1 John 4:8).  This is a great lesson to us also in the context of our own times, when so much activism seems to be geared toward making a splash with open challenges and fierce confrontation.  Jesus does something quite different:  instead of making declarations and manifestos, it is love in action that declares who He is and what He is, and the rest will have to follow in whatever way that develops.  For now, we observe His fulfillment of the Law by participating in its requirements regarding the healed leper, and allowing the healing to testify for Him.  May we all learn from His example, to so fully and directly live and express our faith, without the fanfare.  For it is our own compassion that may serve as eloquence.