Is Jesus Willing to Touch You?

This morning, I invite you to take your Bible and find Mark 1:40-45.  I want to share a message with you entitled, “Is Jesus Willing to Touch You?”  If you are visiting with us this morning, we are in a verse-by-verse study of the Gospel of Mark. 

 

In 1998, I went on my very first international mission trip to Romania, and the goal of our mission team was to hand out gospel tracts and share our personal testimonies to Romanians who waited in line to see the American doctor who was a part of our team.  For that week, our team was in at least two different Romanian villages offering simple medical services and sharing the message of Christ with anyone who would listen. 

 

One of the more common conditions that Romanian women suffered from was Varicose ulcers.  You say, “Don’t you mean Varicose veins?”   No, I mean Varicose ulcers.  Most of have seen Varicose veins or “spider veins” on a woman’s or man’s leg.  The condition I am speaking about is when the Varicose veins get so bad that they bust and become ulcers or open sores filled with pus and blood. 

 

Leprosy has similar effects.  Leprosy is an infectious skin disease that can result in the loss of feeling in your extremities and the paralysis or loss of hands and feet.  There is no cure for leprosy.  Therefore, it certainly and always ends in death.  Lepers often suffer from a loss of feeling in their fingers and hands which might result in not feeling a burn or a cut.  Those who are infected with leprosy die a slow and painful death.

 

I say all that this morning to magnify the extraordinary event here in Mark 1:40-45.  In God’s Word, which covers approximately 6,000-10,000 years, there are only three times when leprosy is cured. 

 

Moses’ sister Miriam contracted leprosy and was cured in Numbers 12.  Namaan contracted leprosy and was cured in 2 Kings 5, and here in Mark 1, we see this leper cured from this terrible disease.  Leprosy was a serious condition.

 

In today’s text, we are going to make three observations and then concluded with one major application from this story that is included also in Matthew and Luke and has only two characters: the leper and Jesus.

 

 

40. Notice the Leper’s Request for Cleanness, Mark 1:40.

40 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.” 

 

In verse 40, this leper came to Jesus.  For this man to make his way to Jesus is saying a lot.  Luke’s gospel (5:12) tells us that he was full or covered with leprosy.  His body was covered with these ulcer-like open sores oozing with bodily fluids. 

 

Leprosy was so disgusting that the Mosaic Law of the OT required lepers to live alone.  See Leviticus 13:45-46.

 

Leviticus 13:45-46, 45 “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 46 He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.

 

So you can see that not only were the lepers to live alone, they were to wear certain cloths and have certain grooming habits.  When they got close to any healthy person, they were to cry out “Unclean!  Unclean!” 

 

Lepers were physical and social outcasts.  Therefore, again, this leper coming to Jesus, fighting his way through crowds, was demonstrating resolve and extreme courage indicative of his desperate need and desire for healing.  Certainly, he had heard about Jesus healing others, and now he wanted the same. 

 

Not only was he resolved, but his request was repeated.  He was imploring of Jesus again and again and again.  He requested and didn’t stop.

 

Thirdly, he came to Jesus and fell on his knees, possibly lying prostrate before him demonstrating his respect for Jesus, and notice what he said.  He never had any doubt of Jesus’ power, but he was concerned about Jesus’ willingness, and said to him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”  If you are willing Jesus, you can heal this most dreadful disease that has ruined my life.  What would you expect Jesus to do?  This leper made a request for cleanness, and we will come back to this idea of cleanness at the end of our time together.  Some form of that word is used four times in our text: 40, 41, 42, and 44.

 

 

42. Notice the Lord’s Response of Compassion, Mark 1:41-42.

41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.

 

That first phrase in verse 41 deserves much of our attention.  It says, “moved with compassion.”  It could also be translated “gripped with compassion,” and it has the idea of having a feeling deep in your gut.  In other words, Jesus was overwhelmed with compassion seeing the need and hurt of this man.  The fact of the matter is that Jesus hated to see human suffering.  As a result, he did something about it.

 

Notice that Jesus did the unthinkable.  He did that which was out of the ordinary.  He touched the leper.  The crowded undoubtedly gasped.  He did that which was forbidden.  No Jew ever touched a leper.  Otherwise, he would be unclean as well.  Jesus defied culture.  Jesus defied tradition.  Jesus defied the norm.  He reached out and touched that which was supposed to be untouchable.  Certainly, this is the first time in a very, very long time that this leper had someone normal and healthy touch him. 

 

When Jesus stretched out His hand and touched the raw, open flesh and oozing sores and said, “I am willing; be cleansed,” this man was cured and it wasn’t just for the moment but for the rest of his life.  His healing was ongoing.  Jesus’ words deserve just a moment’s notice. 

When Jesus said He was willing, He was literally saying, “I am willing, have been willing, and always will be willing to heal those who are sick.”  Therefore, be cleansed!

 

Notice what happened.  Immediately, the leprosy was gone.  No more sores.  No more rotting flesh.  No more oozing pus.  No more “hell on earth.”  This man was instantaneously and completely and fully healed at the touch of the Master’s hand.

 

 

• Notice a Lesson about Rebellion against Commands, Mark 1:43-45.

43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 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.”  45 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.

 

In the final verses of today’s text, we see a lesson about rebellion or disobedience against commands, and in this instance, it was the Lord’s command. 

 

Verse 43 says that Jesus warned the leper about saying anything to anyone else but to show himself to the priest.  This was to be a testimony to the priest of Jesus’ authority over disease.

 

However, even though the text isn’t clear as to whether he went to the priest, it is clear that he didn’t keep quiet about what Jesus had done.  So here’s the lesson.  We may not always understand Jesus’ ways or timing, but His commands are expected to be followed if He is Lord of your life.

 

Because the leper was rebellious or disobedient in verse 45, we see that the circus had begun as Jesus wasn’t even able to go into the city because of all of the people coming to Him from every direction to be healed.

 

 

Conclusion and Application

Let me conclude this morning with the one major application of this story.  In the OT, leprosy was seen as an outward sign of sin.  Even though you and I know that is not always true, that was the Jewish mindset.  They thought leprosy was a sign of sin.  However, Jesus healed this man of an awful, dreadful, physical disease, and He did it by touching him and his leprosy.

 

Sin is our spiritual leprosy, and all of us have been infected at one time or another.  Left to ourselves, we will die a slow and painful death.  However, allow me to answer my question this morning.  Yes, Jesus is willing to touch you and your sin and cure your spiritual leprosy.  See 2 Corinthians 5:21.

 

2 Corinthians 5:21, 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

 

When Jesus touches you and your sin by becoming our sin on the cross, He cures you completely.  It matters not what your past includes. 

 

He cures you immediately.  No conditions are necessary on your part except belief and repentance. 

 

He cures you eternally.  That is forever. 

 

Will you come this morning to be cured or saved like this leper because Jesus is willing to touch you today?