"And Jesus, moved with compassion, put out His hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I am willing'; be cleansed." Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed (Mark 1:41-42).
In the beginning God created the world. God created the universe by the spoken word. He literally spoke the universe into existence (exnihilo). God simply said, "Let there be light and there was light." The word that Jesus used as He addressed this leper is equal to the majesty of ancient power.
Leprosy was a deadly disease and it is still a deadly disease in some cultures today. People with leprosy were not allowed to mingle with the rest of society in the day of Jesus. They were ostracized. Lepers lived in isolation because they were considered defiled, contaminated, contagious, and ceremonially unclean. No Pharisee, scribe, or religious leader would touch a leper, but Jesus touched this leper. Could you imagine the loneliness and guilt lepers felt in those days? The compassionate Christ touched a person whom the society had labeled "unclean."
What made matters worse for lepers was that in those days, there was no cure for leprosy. It was a deadly disease for which nature could not produce any cure. Leprosy was a sentence of death, but at the touch and words of Jesus the disease vanished. Leprosy brought isolation and confinement to its victims. In fact, leprosy was not only deadly but also a shameful disease. When a leper was passing by he had to shout, "I am unclean," "I am unclean." What a humiliation! This brought shame to lepers. Why did everybody stand aside when a leper was passing by? In the Old Testament, leprosy was regarded as a consequence of sin. Society can be cruel, but Jesus is compassionate.
While we do not discount the debilitating nature of leprosy, there is another spiritual leprosy that has infected all humans. This disease is more fatal than physical leprosy. That disease is "sin disease." This disease has infected every person in the world. It is deadly because it leads its victims to spiritual death--a permanent separation from God. While leprosy separated lepers from the rest of society, sin separates you from God. Sin as a disease keeps people from the Kingdom of God. The Bible says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Sin literally means, "To miss the mark." This tells us that every person has missed God's mark or standard. In a practical definition "sin" means to live life independent of God.
The only one who has the antidote for this deadly "sin disease" is Jesus Christ. The sinner is in a more miserable and deplorable state than a leper. Let the sinner go to Jesus and bow before Him as the leper did, and beseech Jesus to make him/her clean. Unlike the religious leaders, who would not even come face to face with a leper, Jesus will come to the sinner. The Great Physician will touch you and you would be clean forever. Jesus is the source of all healing. Salvation is the greatest healing of all. What Jesus needs to do to make you well is to give Him your consent. Jesus wants to save you from "sin sickness." It doesn't matter where you have been and what you have done. All that you need to do is to say, Lord, here am I save me. Why should you die in your sin and spend eternity without Him when Jesus is extending His invitation to you?
Would you call upon Him today, and say, Lord, I am a sinner and cannot save myself, please save me. He will certainly and instantly save you and make you completely clean. He will wash away your sin nature and make you as white as snow. Even as Jesus healed this leper, He is willing to save you and forgive your sins.
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