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 1:40-45)
Jesus touches the untouchable.
The last story in the first chapter of Mark is the man with leprosy who came to Jesus and begged him, saying “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Lepers were the incurable of that time, and it was illegal to even touch a leper for the protection of the population. Jesus’ response to this leper’s request for healing was to say, “I will.” This healing event is for us because it is God’s will for us to be healed.
Jesus is not a ‘religious answer;’ He is a reality answer.
The touching of the leper is the evidence of His will to touch you and me. Our Lord’s response to the leper, a societal untouchable, was “I will,” meaning, I will lift you up, touch you, heal you and give you purpose. Jesus is the One who can cast out evil spirits and silence their influence on our lives. He is God’s only begotten Son; God manifest in human flesh. Christ came to earth to reflect the heart of God for those who are hurting, and Jesus does heal because He has overcome the evil one.
