Immediately Cleansed

Jesus’ healing of a leper in Mark 1:40-45 was immediate. Sometimes it is God’s will to intervene in a moment, and other times it may take a long time. While people die and lose their homes due to lack of health insurance, our politicians argue over method. Should the states do something, the federal government or should we trust the drug companies and the medical profession for an answer? While we argue, people are suffering. Sometimes, God makes us wait too. Ancient Israel waited four hundred years for freedom from slavery. All of this is in God’s will. Sometimes our sins prevent God from intervening immediately. Sometimes our sins have not caused the issue yet God (for reasons which we cannot always understand) delays things. If it is his will, he can intervene and we can be immediately cleansed.

I am Willing

When asked if he was willing to make a leper clean (Mark 1:40-45), Jesus was deeply moved with compassion and replied, I am willing. It is the same word used in Matthew 9:13, when Jesus said that God will have mercy and not sacrifice. In a world where the weak become collateral damage, sacrificed and cast aside, Jesus was willing to become personally involved. To whom will we be Jesus? Jesus means savior. It is his will to save from all kinds of sickness and injury. We live in a world where people don’t want to help directly. We would rather the government do it or give money for a charity to do the dirty work. Charities and governments have their place in solving social ills, but what does Jesus’ example say about willingness to be personally involved?

Moved with Compassion

When a leper suggested that Jesus could heal him if he was willing (Mark 1:40-45) Jesus was deeply moved with compassion. The word literally means moved in his bowels, or as we would say today, he felt it in the pit of his stomach. The word is used to describe how Jesus felt when he saw people scattered without caring leadership and in need of healing. It also describes the attitude of the Good Samaritan when he provided for the robbery victim when others had just walked on by, and the heart of the loving father who ran to welcome his prodigal son home. That compassion is the same as God our Father’s towards us, and God or Provider in time of need. It also describes Jesus’ compassion as he looks down on our many needs for healing today.

Jesus Touched Him

Although leprosy was known since ancient Egypt, it is uncertain as to whether or not Mark 1:40-45 is referring to that disease, as the original language meant “scaly-rough” and was used to describe a variety of skin complaints. What do we do with those whose lives are scaly-rough? Do we prefer the comforts of home rather than reaching out to the needy? Do we avoid touching the lives of others that may cause us fear? Some skin disease spread through touch and that was perhaps why the Old Testament law mandated quarantine and forbade touching anyone so infected as an unclean thing (Leviticus 7:19-21). Yet Jesus’ taught that the law of love overrode the letter of any other law, and he willingly touched the man. How willing are we to reach out and touch the lives of others?

If You are Willing

A leper approached Jesus for healing and pled his case saying, if you are willing you can make me clean (Mark 1:40-45). When asking for God’s help in our needs, it is always good to ask for his will. Sometimes it is not his will that our suffering be relieved or removed in this life. God does occasionally say no. Before his death on the cross, Jesus prayed that God would let his cup of suffering pass, but God did not. Paul asked to be healed of a certain affliction, but God told him that his grace was sufficient. We must always be willing to accept that God knows best, yet we certainly should ask. God invites us to go before his throne boldly and bring all our petitions. Whether God heals or not he knows what is best.

In the Name of Jesus

Jesus was named as an infant (Luke 2:15-21). So what does it mean when we pray, “in the name of Jesus?” There is no single account of a prayer in the New Testament using that phrase in a prayer. We can pray in the name of Jesus without a rote phrase. Saying the phrase is not wrong, but it can lose its meaning, degenerating to a mere signal that a prayer is over. How then can we pray in Jesus’ name as he said (John 16:22-27)? The word for name also means reputation, authorization, power behind the name, in honor of and even for the sake of the person named. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are praying in honor of the most sacred name, with his full approval and in awe of his most wonderful reputation.

(Reference: Friberg, Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller. Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament. Baker's Greek New Testament Library. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000. BibleWorks, v. 3.5.)

Circumcision of the Heart

Although Jesus was circumcised as an infant (Luke 2:15-21) he gave no command for Christians to be circumcised in the flesh. Yet, the Old Testament spoke of a circumcision of the heart (Deuteronomy 10:15-17; 30:5-7; Jeremiah 4:3-5) which applies to both old and new covenants. God uses outward things for a lesson about more important inner things. What happens when someone is circumcised in the heart? Physical circumcision pictured what God really wants, a change in heart and soul, a different attitude (Romans 2:28-29). This is a focus on the things of the Spirit, not the letter of the law. We look to praise from God and not human beings. Belonging to a church or a special ethnic group does not impress God as much as a heart that loves him and our fellow humans.

Circumcision of Jesus

Like most Jewish boys, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day (Luke 2:15-21). We may think of it as a bloody practice and that opinion is not new. Over three thousand years ago, Zipporah accused her husband Moses of being a bloody man because of their son’s circumcision (Exodus 4:24-26). Some may even believe that it is a primitive practice that society should outgrow. Yet, modern scientific and medical research continues to show how far advanced the ancients were in this regard. The World Journal of Urology [1] concluded that positive benefits include decreased risk of HIV infection. Web MD [2] suggests that circumcision provides a 50% reduction in HIV transmission, threefold reduction in HPV infections which can cause cervical cancer, reduced syphilis and chlamydia, about 10 times less infant urinary tract infections, and virtual elimination of serious penile cancers.

[1] World Journal of Urology, Male circumcision and HIV infection risk, John N. Krieger, Department of Urology, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA, Springer-Verlag 2011

[2] http://men.webmd.com/guide/circumcision-decision-weighing-risks-benefits

Political Salvation

When Jesus was born, the Jews were looking for political salvation from “corrupt and self-serving rulers” (N. T. Wright. Simply Jesus. 2011. Harper Collins. p. 55.). Does that sound familiar? People have not changed. We naively believe that salvation is within human ability. We look for a hero to be our national leader who can rescue us from government corruption and oppression by those with wealth and power. The only problem is that with each successive leader, we are equally disappointed, as they do some things right, but most things wrong. The whole world is ruled by highly educated, very intelligent people who cannot solve humanity’s problems. Luke 2:1-20 proclaimed a change that would make the difference. It was a birth in the most humble of circumstances, the arrival of a leader such as this world had never seen.

The Real Santa Claus

Nicholas, was born around 280 AD on the Mediterranean coast of what is now the Turkish Riviera. The only son of wealthy Greek Christians, Nicholas gave his inheritance away to the poor. As bishop of Myra, he suffered persecution under Diocletian. He was tortured and imprisoned. Emperor Constantine had the persecuted Christians released. One legend tells of a poor man who Nicholas gave three bags of gold as a dowry for his daughters, so they did not have to become prostitutes. Nicholas was also part of the Council of Nicea in 325 AD where he contributed to the Nicene Creed and condemned Arianism. Nicholas saved three innocent men from execution and reproved the governor for taking bribes to convict them. He became known for his secret gift-giving. The name Santa Claus is a corruption of the Dutch for Saint Nicholas.