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 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 the 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 

 

On Saturday 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 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.   Throughout the Gospels, we're given the sense that what Christ touches, He makes whole.  This is the saving nature of grace, and of the divine nature of Christ in His identity as Son.   Even the dreaded cross of crucifixion becomes an instrument of salvation through the touch of Jesus Christ upon it.  Here, Peter's mother-in-law is restored to her place in the household, as she is lifted up by Christ.  To serve Christ and His ministry is a place of honor.

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.  Once again, the demons make their presence know through their response to the presence of Christ and His saving work in the world.  And yet again, we see as in our previous reading (see above), Jesus did not allow the demons to speak, so they cannot reveal His divine identity before the time to do so.  

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 the 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.  Even though He is God incarnate, He prayed continually, often finding a solitary place to be free from distraction -- despite the need of the multitude for Him.  The Lord's ministry, my study Bible explains, comes forth from His communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit and it flows to people in their needs.  His 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.  We find the biblical law concerning leprosy in Leviticus 13-14.  In Deuteronomy 24:8 we read the description of the purification of lepers and leprous houses, which was a duty entrusted to the priests.  My study Bible explains that leprosy 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  touched the leper, and so shows His compassion -- and also that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  To the clean, my study Bible says, nothing is unclean (see also Romans 14:14).  

 

 In the cleansing of the leper, we note that Jesus sent the healed man to the priests, in accordance with the law of Moses.  This is important to note because Jesus -- although Messiah and Son of God -- makes a complete healing through His miraculous power, but also remains devout within the context of the society in which He lives.  By doing so, He upholds the priesthood (according to the commentary of St. Ephrem the Syrian).  He also commands the leper to make the offering which the law taught to make in such cases.  It's significant for us to observe that, as long as the temple in Jerusalem remains standing. and although Jesus and eventually the early Church  will struggle with the leadership of the temple, the institutions themselves are not under attack by Christ in any way.  He takes issue with the ways that they are being administered, even with the ways in which the law is applied or interpreted, but He remains observant of the laws and customs of Israel as established through what was understood to be given by God.  In this context of the healing of the leper, we might take pains to observe that leprosy, like other forms of uncleanness, was considered to be a type of contaminant, and similar to sin itself.  It may seem to us pragmatic that lepers were kept separate and outside of community, considering the real possibility of physical contagion.  But this is not the full understanding of the separation, because it doesn't take into account the association with sin.  Sin itself was treated and considered a kind of contaminant, and so the overlap between the leprosy and sin is part of this understanding.  But Christ comes into the world to bring us closer to God through the gift of the Spirit, to help us with discernment, and particularly with salvation and the remission of sin.  So, in that context, we may view His touch, and the coming of a new covenant.  Where once the law was written down for all to follow, God's new covenant was prophesied by Jeremiah:  "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Jeremiah 31:33).  Jesus' compassion thereby defines and provides the foundation for our understanding of the new covenant, and for our understanding of God and God's grace.  Through His touch, Jesus redefines sin as illness (as opposed to illness as sin), meaning that healing is necessary for both.  When our souls are sick, we seek redemption, and His church is meant to function as a kind of hospital.  We could say that as human beings, we need therapeutic care for all kinds of reasons.  But therapy and healing are also meant to teach us that we're not simply "perfect" the way we are, and we shouldn't settle upon our own sense of righteousness without understanding that our yardstick for this measurement is eternal.  That is, Christ comes into the world to lead us into an eternal life, a life that is meant not simply to extend some sort of "good enough" static sense of being into eternity. Rather, it's meant for those who understand that the true goal is to be like the One who created us in likeness and image.  That is an infinite journey, one far beyond this world.  Our notions of "sinlessness" are inadequate to define what that looks like -- but Christ's act of compassion takes us into that future.  To be sinless in that context was to follow the law to the letter, but it could not include the compassion of Christ's touch, for that was forbidden.  So let us understand His gesture and its leading us into the new covenant, and the place where we are meant not simply to be sinless, but to grow in the image and likeness of God, to become more "God-like" in that sense of bearing resemblance.  This is a likeness we cannot achieve through perfection of following rules, but we need some more help to do this.  It is the life of the Holy Spirit that leads beyond what we already know.  When we lose sight of this and settle for worldly rules alone, we are no longer awakened to the reality of God's presence with us, but we walk in darkness, no matter how well-meant.  For in a culture formed by those who believe that making new rules will create a positive world, it becomes quickly clear that compassion remains sorely lacking.  As the Gospel unfolds, we will view the religious establishment's response to Christ's compassion -- they will piously claim He's breaking the rules.  In Christ's own characterization of their behavior, they take refuge in hypocrisy.  Of course, there are exceptions among the leaders, but even they must eventually separate themselves from the others.  If we but look around, we might see the same thing happening today in brand new forms.