Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Mark 1:40-45
And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter. (ESV)
by Leota Stevens
This vignette of the mercy and compassion of Christ is impressive. A leprous person could spend years of their life never feeling the compassionate touch from another human being. The mere sight of them sent people scurrying for cover. They were feared and rejected by society; no one wanted to be around them. One individual, full of putrid sores, had the audacity to present himself before the Master and beg help from Jesus. Jesus consented verbally to healing this man, and that would have been sufficient to secure the removal of the disease. But the Lord saw the deeper need within this particular leper’s world of loss and isolation. He reached out and touched this wretched creature with his hand as a message of fearless acceptance and selfless love.
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2008, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service .
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