And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. Mark 1:41 KJV
Let us take the time to imagine what this scene may have looked like (Mark 1:38-45).
Jesus had told the disciples they were going into the next towns, so that He could preach there also.
A crowd gathered.
There was leper in this town who had heard of His coming.
As the leper was approaching, the people saw Him from across the way.
They recognized him because of the bandanna that was covering his nose and mouth.
They saw that his garments were torn and that his skin was peeling away from his body.
He was considered unclean.
As he approached the crowd around Jesus began to scatter.
They feared being touched by him because they themselves would become unclean.
In those times lepers were banned from the religious life of the community.
They were isolated from society and compelled to mourn their own death by the tearing of their clothes.
But this leper was determined and threw himself at Jesus’ feet.
He appealed to Him out of desperation and faith.
He was sure that He could restore him too whole.
As he was kneeling to Him, he said, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean” (Mark 1:40 KJV).
“And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean” (Mark 1:41 KJV).
Jesus cleansed him of his leprosy.
He then told him to “say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them” (Mark 1:44 KJV).
To this day Jesus specializes in restoration.
He has the power to cleanse, forgive and restore.
He will do it for those who are hopelessly and helplessly caught up in their sin.
For those who feel that there is no way out of their situation.
All we must do is go to Him in prayer.
He has always said we can tell Him all about our troubles.
That He would answer them by and by.
Listening to hear Him say, “I will; be thou clean.”
We just have to keep our trust in Him.
A WORD OF PRAYER
Savior, we know that You are waiting to save us and wash every sin away. When we put our faith and trust in You, we know the power of Your forgiveness. A power that renews a right Spirit in all of us. May we never forget to come to the throne of Your grace and bow down before You in prayer. Becoming the new creature that desires to live according to Your way. Thank You for all the blessings You bestow on us.
In Jesus’ Name We Pray, Amen