I am willing; be cleansed

 

 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 

 

 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

 

- Matthew 7:28-8:4 

 

In our recent readings, the lectionary has led us through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  Yesterday we read Christ's final "sayings" in this Sermon.  He taught, "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'  Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rains descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."  

 

 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.   Authority will be a great and grave subject that comes up repeatedly in the ministry of Jesus Christ.  One having authority indicates a person having authority in themselves, rather than quoting famous rabbis or other teachers, as did the scribes.  He is neither a Levitical priest nor a member of a ruling family, nor is He a Pharisee.  Throughout the Gospel, it is important to remember that Jesus comes from humble beginnings, and His knowledge and learning is astonishing in this context, in addition to the authority with which He speaks.

 

  When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  My study Bible comments that the biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13; 14.   In Deuteronomy 24:8 we find the command regarding the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty entrusted to the priests.  My study Bible explains that leprosy was considered to be a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), but nevertheless Jesus touched the leper; this shows His compassion, and also that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  My study Bible further comments that to the clean, nothing is unclean (see Romans 14:14; Titus 1:15).  

 

Jesus' healing of this leper immediately following the Sermon on the Mount gives us an important illustration of His Gospel.  First of all, there is a transformation of understanding the laws about leprosy.  Let us note that Jesus is still very careful to observe the Law in telling the healed leper to show himself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded.  As He has said in the Sermon on the Mount, He has come to fulfill, and not to destroy, the Law and the Prophets.  But importantly, this works also as a testimony to them.  Moreover, Christ makes the distinction that His gospel is meant to heal; the whole purpose of all that He does and all that He has come into the world to be and to do is to offer us healing, which is the true essence of salvation.  All of His medicine for the world, including His Body and Blood of the Eucharist, is meant as medicine, healing us from what ails the world.  In this there is not, therefore, "clean" and "unclean" but only that which needs healing, rectifying, purifying through His Incarnation.  Jesus Himself will "become sin" for us, dying on the Cross as one despised and cast out of community (2 Corinthians 5:21).  But as in His Incarnation, Christ meets even the greatest suffering, shame, and abominations of this world with His divinity and humanity combined, He is healing of all of it.  Whatever He touches, indeed, becomes healed, even destroying death by experiencing human death.  The mystery of this transforming paradox is put this way by St. Paul:  "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:13).  The teaching of St. Gregory of Nazianzinus, so central to Christianity, tells us regarding the Incarnation, "That which is not assumed is not healed."  He continues, "That which is united to God, that will be saved.  If half of Adam fell, also half will be taken up and saved.  But if all [of Adam], all of his nature will be united [to God], and all of it will be saved" (Letter 101 to Cledonius).  Jesus' touch teaches us that all that He has come into the world to do is to heal whatever He finds, whatever is broken, in need of redemption or restoration.  As His own life became subject to the worst the world (and the evil of the world) had to offer, so He had touched all parts of human life and experience, and He offers through this depth of "touch" the healing to all of us, no matter our own darkness or shame.  But just as the healed leper was told to show himself to the priest, so we must come to Christ with all that we are for His healing and His "touch."  For this we are given even His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, so that we may unite to Him in this touch, as St. Nazianzinus teaches.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.  

He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses

 

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

 

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.

 

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"He Himself took our infirmities 

And bore our sicknesses."

- Matthew 8:1–17 

 

We have recently been reading through the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5 - 7 of Matthew's Gospel).  Yesterday, we read Jesus' final words of the Sermon, in which He spoke about the final judgment:   "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'  Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."  And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

 

 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."   As Jesus has just finished His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, He comes down from the mountain, and many follow Him.  In today's reading, His engagements with the people concern healing.  My study bible comments 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 which was entrusted to the priests.  Leprosy was a disease that was considered to be a direct punishment for sins.  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, expressing His compassion -- and at the same time establishing that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  In that sense, we can understand this healing as an expression of divine authority in God's loving mercy.  To the clean, my study Bible says, nothing is unclean (compare Romans 14:14).

 

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."   A centurion (a Gentile) commanded 100 men in a Roman legion.  Jesus is the Savior of all, my study Bible says, and in Him ethnic distinctions are void.

 

 And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."   Many Greek scholars have read Jesus' remark, I will come, as a question:  "Shall I come?"  Whichever way it should be understood, Jesus is ready to deal graciously with this Gentile, my study Bible says, and even to enter his house, which would make Christ unclean in the eyes of the Jews.

The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'God,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  This centurion expresses an unusual faith in Christ, as He calls Jesus, a Jew, Lord.  The statement, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof," is frequently quoted in liturgical texts, my study Bible says, as an ideal expression of humility. 

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  My study Bible notes that only twice in the Gospels is it said of Jesus that He marveled:  at the unbelief in His hometown of Nazareth (Mark 6:6), and here, at the belief of this foreigner.

"And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  My study Bible comments that here Jesus nullifies any ideas of ethnic superiority.  The rejected sons of the kingdom are both the Jews who deny Christ and those raised in the Church who do not live their faith; outer darkness and weeping and gnashing are descriptions of the state of the unrighteous in Sheol (Hades) in the Jewish tradition (see Enoch 103:8).   They are common expressions in Matthew (13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30), and they also occur in Luke (Luke 13:28). 

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities/And bore our sicknesses."  My study Bible notes here that this passage and 1 Corinthians 9:5 (where Peter is called Cephas) indicate that Peter was married.   Christ's healing miracles are quite diverse.  Here, Jesus heals by touch.  In verse 13, Jesus healed by a word ("Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you").  This healing of Peter's mother-in-law is immediate and complete, while others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25), or they require the cooperation of the person healed or of loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  As the final quotation in today's reading indicates (Jesus quotes from Isaiah 53:4), all of Christ's miracles manifest His redemption of ailing humanity.

All of today's reading involves healing, various healings performed by Christ just after we're given the Sermon on the Mount.  If we put the two together, we could say that, coming down from the mountain, Christ comes into the world, and as the Divine-human Jesus, embodies into action what He has preached as divine word.  Put in another way, the divine Word Himself comes into the world and embodies in action what He truly is in [His] Being.  So we have to look at what He does to understand Him more clearly, and to understand His message and teachings to us, and what they mean.  He first of all heals a leper by touch.  This is doubly magnificent as a healing, because, not only does He heal the dreaded leprosy, symbol of our own sin in the Old Testament and for His community, but He does so by touch, which is forbidden, as the law considered leprosy unclean.  For a Jew, this would mean bringing uncleanness into community without the express permission of a priest who would certify first that the leprosy was gone.  But Christ, the Word, is the giver of the Law, and as such He is the Lord.  However, His compassion is the expression of His teaching ("Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" - Matthew 7:12).  But the real spark that facilitates actual connection is the tremendous faith it must have taken for the leper to say to Christ, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  This seems like an extraordinary request, given the conditions of the time and the law.  The next extraordinary request comes from the centurion, a most unlikely person to approach Jesus.  As we can see, even Jesus marvels at the great faith of this centurion, when He says, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"   That is quite an extraordinary compliment indeed.  (And just imagine, making even Jesus marvel!)  But it is that extraordinary capacity for faith that gives the spark to connect the communion of Christ's power for healing human beings.  Faith becomes the key, even as Jesus marvels and points out to us that "many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Christ affirms the power of faith in the sight of God, when He tells the centurion, "as you have believed, so let it be done for you."   Finally, by touch, He heals Peter's mother-in-law so that she is restored to her place of honor in the household -- and beyond, He cast out spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, so that He clearly fulfills Isaiah's prophesy as compassionate healer and redeemer.  He is the One who enacts God's mercy with what He does, and by extension, He invites us to do the same, with whatever capacities we have.  The key to all of this, however, is clearly faith, and it is this demonstration of great faith at which Jesus marvels, and for which He extends His tremendous compassion and healing power.  This is a lesson that mustn't be lost on us today anymore than two thousand years ago in Galilee; it is the lesson spread to the known world by the apostles, and it has to be the lesson for us now.  Where is our faith?  What is the state of our faith?  Are we waiting for miracles first?  Or do we understand that it is faith that opens up the door for the connection with Christ, and prayer that works with God's power.  Sometimes we'll find that healing doesn't exactly look like what we expected or wanted, but Christ is there with His compassion to show us the way if we start with even a tiny seed  of faith.  He continues to carry us and bears our infirmities, as do the saints who hear our prayers.

If You are willing, You can make me clean

 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.  In Luke's Gospel, we're told that Jesus "rebuked the fever" of Peter's mother-in-law (Luke 4:39).  In both this text and Luke's, the effect happens immediately.  In this it resembles the exorcism that has jut taken place in the synagogue, in both the immediate effect and in the rebuke reported by Luke the Physician.  In either case, Christ is the One who has come to relieve us of oppression and suffering.

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.   Again, we are told of the link between oppressive suffering and the demonic.  We should note that although medical science was not what it is today, in the ancient world in which the Gospels are set, all diseases were not attributed to direct demonic causes.  However, pain and suffering are seen in general as effects of a world given to sin, and under the influence of that which is opposed to God.  As Son of God, Christ brings into the world the living love of God.  My study bible notes here that He does not allow the demons to speak and to publicly identify Him as such.  This is foretold by Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4).  It lists a number of reasons for secrecy, including the growing hostility of the Jewish leadership; the people's misunderstanding of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader; and our Lord's desire to evoke a genuine faith which is not based solely on marvelous signs.  Jesus' forbidding the demons to speak also teaches us once more about the power of humility; all things are in the hands of God to unfold and reveal in the proper time (Mark 1:15).

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 remarks that Jesus sets forth for us an example of spiritual life.  He is God incarnate, and yet He prayed constantly.  We're frequently told that He finds a solitary place so that He is freed from distraction, despite the growing crowds of people who need Him.  My study bible comments that Our Lord's ministry comes forth from His communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and from there flows to people in their needs.  This is an example for us all regarding how we are to live our lives.  Jesus' praying in the morning teaches us to put into place as our first priority in life our commitment to God, and this in turn equips us to serve others (see Mark 12:28-31).

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.  Deuteronomy 24:8 denotes the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty that was entrusted to the priests.   Leprosy among the ancient Jews was considered a direct punishment for sins.  As lepers were unclean they were not permitted to live in the community or to worship in the synagogues or the temple; their re-admittance to the community was strictly regulated, and so Jesus tells the healed leper to "show yourself to the priest" and act in accordance with the Mosaic Law.  Touching the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), but Jesus touched him.  My study bible says that by this Jesus shows His compassion, and also that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  It notes, "To the clean, nothing is unclean."

The commentary in my study bible states, "To the clean, nothing is unclean."  We find this also somewhat inversely noted in Romans 14:14 by St. Paul, who writes, "I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean."  To the most holy One ever living in our world, nothing is unclean of itself.  The essential and important orientation here is that nothing that is created by God is unclean or evil in and of itself.  We may be burdened with oppressive cares, diseases and illnesses, struggles with all kinds of forces and difficulties, but none of these things make a person evil or unclean in themselves, as a creation of God.  This orientation is fully upheld in the Gospel, and particularly in the passages of today's reading, in which Jesus comes into the world as Healer and Deliverer.  Part of His role as Redeemer is to liberate us from these oppressive things which are considered unclean, teaching by His touch, as St. Paul writes, that nothing is unclean of itself.  In this context we note the link between "the evil one" (as the words in the Lord's prayer literally mean in the Greek; see Matthew 6:13) and those things which afflict mankind with suffering and oppression.  This "spiritual battle" in which Jesus comes as Liberator has to do with that which causes harm and destruction to human beings, and whose effects are deadly.  When we are in thrall to a false ideal we also suffer oppression and destructive effects.  When we labor under lies we do the same.  A disease such as anorexia afflicts individuals with a focus like a harsh taskmaster, as a fixed way of thinking that insists it is for the victim's good, but is ultimately destructive and even deadly.  According to statistics, anorexia is the most lethal of all psychiatric disorders (see this article).  In its harsh rules and regulations, an individual is "unclean" for having eaten.  It is an example of living under a lie, and the "evil one" has also been called by Christ the father of lies (John 8:44).  Christian fasting is not a practice in which foods are good and bad, but rather one in which we are encouraged to rely more deeply on a loving God, learning that we are fully capable of making free choices and that we are not simply slaves to desire -- the opposite of the oppression of an eating disorder.  By tradition with such practices, over-severity is recognized as the product of false piety, a form of pride or self-centeredness which is ultimately personally destructive.  In the Orthodox tradition, excessive or morbid guilt falls into the same category.  (As one dear friend, a priest I've known for years, puts it, "We have tools, not rules.")  Christ comes into the world in today's reading as Healer and Liberator, the One who is strong enough to fight what oppresses us and afflicts the world.  Illness and the demonic are bound up with the opposing and freeing force of God's love at work in the world.  And in this love is the message that nothing is unclean of itself, that all that is created by God is essentially good.  We are given to understand that we have choices.  We are offered a basic choice regarding that into which we will put our faith, and into whom we put our trust.  Here is the true spiritual message of Jesus beginning His day with prayer:  we first turn to our faith in and love for God, and from there we are taught right-relatedness to all of God's creation, including how we must think of ourselves as human beings.  Mark's Gospel has only just begun.  We are still in chapter 1, and yet it leads with this message of the "good news" of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  We are loved by the One who knows us as no other can know us, but we must find that love and return it in our own hearts to find His way for us, and the freedom we so desperately need for ourselves.

Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean

 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

- Matthew 7:28-8:4

We have been reading through the Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5 - 7 of Matthew's Gospel.  (These readings began with the Beatitudes, the blessed way of life of the Kingdom, see Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.)   "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'  Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."

 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  The way the scribes would teach was to cite a famous rabbi, perhaps one under which they had studied.  But Jesus teaches of His own authority, something which is remarked upon several times in the Gospels (see, for example, Mark 1:21-22).  Most notably, Jesus will directly clash with the religious leadership over His authority to cleanse the temple (21:23, Mark 11:28, Luke 20:2).

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  One can find the biblical law concerning leprosy in Leviticus 13 and 14.  Deuteronomy 24:8 describes the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty entrusted to the priests.  My study bible comments that leprosy was considered to be a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were unclean, they weren't permitted to live in the community or to worship in the synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was also forbidden (Leviticus 7:21).  But here Jesus touched the leper, which shows His compassion -- and that He is not subject to the Law but rather over it.  To the clean, my study bible says, nothing is unclean.   We note that Jesus still shows consideration for the Law (and hence the community) in His instruction to the leper.

Jesus teaches with authority, and the people remark upon His difference from the scribes.  Yet, He's not been the student of a famous rabbi, nor does He have any official credentials among the leadership.   Neither is He a Levitical priest.  He respects the Law, and yet it is His compassion that overrides what is forbidden.  This act of healing and cleansing is something of a direct expression of what He has just taught in the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus' work and effect is love in action.  He will also teach that He is the way, the truth, and the life; and that He has come so that we may have life in abundance (John 14:6, 10:10).  This is also expressed through the healing of the leper.  Christ's love and compassion are part of His authority, and these are unlimited and unlimiting.  They are not bound by scarcity; the life He offers is eternal and His mercy is without end (Psalm 10:17).  Therefore, Jesus' authority is all part of the whole of His Person:  His love and mercy, His truth, His offer of the abundance of life, His union with the Father (John 10:30).  St. Ambrose of Milan writes, "When nature is defective, the Creator, who is the author of nature, has the power to restore it."  But there is more to Christ.  He, who will voluntarily suffer out of love for us, wishes us to offer our own woundedness and imperfection, even our defects, to Him.  Let us note, also, something remarkable about Jesus' character:  He's not here to prove that He has this authority.  He has no need to do that.  He doesn't go about proving anything and will not give miracles on demand when the authorities demand that He do so.  Neither does He, here in today's reading, seek to make it known that He has healed this man.  Instead, Jesus' earthly ministry is one of love in action.  His primary drive is to teach, to offer all that He is here to give.  The signs that come from Him are signs of the presence of the Kingdom, that God is present with the people, evident here in the healing of the leper.  It is this presence to which the leper will give testimony to the priest.   It is faith that He is looking for, those who will respond to His love in turn with trust and love themselves.  How can we respond in the ways He asks?  His authority is not one of force, but of love and compassion.  Let us wed ourselves to His truth and His presence always with us.

Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered

 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.  But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."  Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of the all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

- Luke 11:37-52

Yesterday, we read that as Jesus was speaking, a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"  And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation.  It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."

And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?"  The Pharisee is thinking about ceremonial washing, an observation of oral tradition (not violation of the law of Moses).  But Jesus speaks to the hypocrisy of strict observance of these built up customs as if they were in fact the fulfillment of the Law in and of themselves - and as if they were the only necessary focus.  To be holy in God's sight one must not neglect the "inside" also created by God.

"But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you."  How does one build up the inside?  Giving alms, the practice of charity, is one way of building up an internal cleanliness, so that then everything is clean.   We can see this in the practice of Christ's mercy, when He touches a leper to heal.  (See Titus 1:15.) 

"But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."   All of these things are an indication of emphasis on the external, on only things done to be seen.  To tithe herbs but to bypass the justice and love of God is to do what is tiny and to bypass what is of the essence and truly great.  To love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces is to crave the admiration of others as one's focus.  But they neglect the love of God which defines and centers everything else.  In this way they are like unseen graves; their inner death and emptiness is unseen and unknown, the worth of the soul forgotten.  Jesus does not condemn religious practice designed to shore up faith and center us on the love of God and neighbor.  What He condemns is the use of built-up traditions in such a way that obscures the focus on the heart and the love of God and allows for its neglect.  Woe is a term that indicates complete and devastating destruction, says my study bible (6:24-26; see Isaiah 5:18-24; Amos 5:18-19; Revelation 12:12).

Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of the all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."   It is possible to be zealous for the law and to neglect the weightier matters of love of God and true justice.  My study bible says that because the example of a leader can be so influential, leaders who do not love God can hinder others from finding Him as well.  Thus leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1). 

 Christ calls hypocrites those whose emphasis is so fully on the outside that they neglect the "inside" -- the inner part of a person.  This inner part is also understood as the heart of a person.  That is, that which unites all that we are:  mind and spirit and soul.  Jesus says that to clean this inside renders all clean; the body is not left out of this understanding.  Jesus addressed this in yesterday's reading, when He said, "The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light."  This lamp of the body is the spiritual eye; that is, the mind, that with which we perceive and view life.  In effect, He's telling these men that they don't allow the light to come into that eye and to make all things clean.  True purity or cleanliness of the heart leads to an understanding of what is truly clean or pure.  A wholly external emphasis on rules compiled via oral tradition renders these men hypocrites.  They neglect the weightier matters of justice and mercy in favor of how they are reflected back to themselves in the eyes of others, their peers and contemporaries.  This is what Jesus means when He tells them that they "love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces."   What is really important here is not a separation between external and internal.  In fact, this is what Jesus is condemning as hypocritical.  (The word hypocrite in the Greek originally means "actor."  In the ancient plays such as those contemporary with Jesus' time, actors wore masks to denote their characters.  Hypocrite literally means "under the mask.")   What Jesus is offering is the authenticity of a heart devoted to loving God and neighbor, and in the fullness of life this means that externally acts are also clean.  This is a true salvation of all of life, not a separation of interior and exterior.  Hence, St. Paul writes in a letter to Titus:  "All things are clean to the clean" (Titus 1:15).  My study bible emphasizes the danger to Christians as well in that when we have beautiful ritual and practices, all those traditions designed to shore up the love of God and neighbor, we also run the risk of putting all the emphasis on the external and neglecting the very thing the practices are meant to help.  Prayer must be the place we go to find God and the love of God in our hearts, which leads us to true purity and righteousness.  That is, to right-relatedness to the world and all beings and things in it.  It is not about being seen by others.  Alms-giving, charity, the practice of mercy becomes treasure in heaven when it comes from a pure heart.  Hence, Jesus will teach that we go into our inner chamber -- alone with God our Father "who is in the secret place" and "who sees in secret," and He will reward openly.  That word for inner chamber indicates an inner room in a house for the storage of valuables, and it truly works through all meanings implied, including to teach us that we need to pray undisturbed whatever else we do -- and emphasizes Jesus' teachings about the treasures of the heart as well (see Matthew 6:6, 21).   All emphasis here goes back to the love of God, the true love of God in the heart that enlightens everything else.  What He implies in today's reading is that these men are like those who killed the prophets sent by God (their "fathers").  That is, the prophets were sent to remind the people of the love and this commitment to God they lack -- and were killed for doing so.  It starts with the heart, and none of us are immune from the temptation to external emphasis, to hypocrisy.  Those in leadership, especially, deprive others when they fail to be true to this kind of purity and integrity.  Let us remember God's love.