Skip to main content

Jesus is what God had to say

                “If you are willing, you can make me clean” (Mark 1:40).
                Leprosy was a terrible disease.  Not only did it disfigure and tear up one’s body, it also tore up everything the person held dear.  Lepers had to leave their homes, families, jobs and even their towns.  They had to shout “unclean” so that they did not come into contact with healthy people.  It was such a lonely existence that some referred to lepers as “the living dead” because they had lost everything that brought meaning to their lives.
                It is notable, then, that this man approaches Jesus.  Maybe he thought that he had nothing left to lose, or maybe his faith was so strong that he could not stay away.  Either way, he took a huge risk just talking to Jesus.  However, his words reveal the next big risk. 
                Seemingly, he had no doubt that Jesus could heal him.  What he was not so certain about was whether Jesus would do it.  “If you are willing…”.   Is that not where a lot of us stumble?  We read about how powerful God is and we think, “He can do anything” and yet we wonder, “Will he help me?”
                Maybe we know ourselves too well.  We can list all kinds of reasons that we must be beyond God’s grace and mercy.   Maybe we assume that those nice Biblical stories make good teaching material, but we are just not sure whether those promises really apply to us. 
                If you have ever wondered whether you have gone too far away from God for him to hear or help you, then please pay attention to Jesus’ response:  “I am willing… Be clean!” (Mark 1:41)
                God is willing to listen.  He is willing to help.  He is willing to let you start over.  He is willing to clean up the mess.  In fact, not only is he willing, he loves us so much that he has already taken care of our biggest issues through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection (John 3:16-17).  Even before we knew that we needed help, he provided the answer (Romans 5:8).
                If you ever wonder how God thinks, what he is like, or how he would react, look at Jesus and remember these words, “I am willing”.
                Jesus is what God had to say!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Article: Grace Changes Everything

               A young man broke into a business and did $5000 damage. As part of his Restorative Justice sentence, he was required to meet with my friend Garth.   Garth believes in making apologies and restitution.   It took several months, but Garth finally convinced the young man that these were necessary steps, so he tried to arrange a meeting with the business owner.                The business owner wanted nothing to do with this situation.   He was angry and wanted a more severe form of justice.   Eventually, however, he agreed to meet the young man to hear what he had to say.                  The young man looked the business owner in the eye an...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: We need a Better Scorecard

                   “Is that a Sun Ice?”                “Excuse me,” I said.                My friend pointed to my new ski jacket and asked again, “Is that a Sun Ice?”                It was 1991 and Sun Ice was the big name in ski wear at the time.   “No” I replied, “I can’t afford one of those”.                “Oh” he said as he lost interest and then just walked away.                I had not seen this friend in more than a year and, sadly, his first ...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: Surprised by God

                 We would be shocked if we could hear the Bible for the first time again.   On every page, something unexpected happens.   The only reason we are not surprised is that the stories are so familiar to us.   Think about some of the unexpected interactions that God has had with his people.                For example, every culture has stories about a creator, but none imagined that God would become part of the creation.   That the creator would lower himself and become human is surprising, to say the least.                Not only did he become one of us, but he also came as a baby.   A tiny, helpless, baby!   If I wer...
Post a Comment
Read more