Jesus Is the Answer

Mrk 1:40-45 (ESV) And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” [41] Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” [42] And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. [43] And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, [44] and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” [45] But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

Luk 5:12-13 (ESV) While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” [13] And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him.

Lev 13:45-46 (ESV) “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ [46] He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.

Kent Hughes, in his commentary on Mark, made the observation that “Mark’s gospel is preeminently a book of miracles. In fact, it records more of Christ’s miracles than his sermons!” He went on to say that “All Christ’s miracles were parables (earthly stories with a spiritual application) that visibly portrayed the effects of his Spirit’s work among mankind. So, as we explore this passage this morning, we must ask, “What is the story being told through the miracle?”

As we think about that question, first, let’s take some time and think about this leper that came to Jesus for a moment:

1. Mark simply stated that a leper came to Jesus. Luke told us that while Jesus was in one of the Galilean cities a leper, who was full of leprosy, came to him.
2. Note that he was full of leprosy. This description that Luke supplied would describe a man with full-blown, late stage leprosy. Leprosy is a disease that begins by a bacteria infecting the person. It causes the skin to begin to scale (leprosy) and then begins to affect the nerve endings in the skin. This causes the hands and feet to feel numb, which in turn causes the person to injure themselves because they can’t feel the sensation of pain. This leads to wounds, such as burns or cuts, which become open sores. Often the disease will affect the bones that cause facial deformities around the eyes, ears, and nose. Since this man had not been able to feel for quite some time, he would have come to Jesus that day out of absolute desperation, a man deformed, mutilated, in pain, without hope.
3. Following the rule of Leviticus:

• Lev 13:45-46 (ESV) “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ [46] He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.
• Unclean, unkept, diseased, disheveled, and ragged. Life out of control, clothes out of control, hair out of control. All alone. No friends, no family, no one to care, no one to touch, no one to hold.
• Leprosy was often associated with sin. It was very often believed to be the result of sin (think of Miriam and her rebuke of Moses). The Levitical priest was the one who had to examine the leper to determine if he had leprosy or was healed of leprosy. Possibly indicating a healing from sin and impurity.
• Again, Kent Hughes is helpful to grasp the spiritual picture here: “The nature of leprosy, with its insidious beginnings, its slow progress, its destructive power, and the ultimate ruin it brings, makes it a powerful symbol of moral depravity. If we see ourselves with spiritual eyes, we see that apart from the work of Christ we would be decaying forms of walking death.”

1. We must all recognize our deep spiritual need.

Mrk 1:40 (ESV) And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.”

1. The leper had no hope for healing. There was no cure for leprosy in his day. Sometimes a mild skin disease or rash would be healed, but not leprosy. This man knew he had leprosy. He knew he was going to live alone. He would die alone. He was death walking.
2. Every time he looked down at his skin he was reminded, “I’m a leper.” Every painful move of his body screamed, “I’m a leper.” Every time he watched people run away from him in fear was a reminder, “I’m a leper.” Every time he had to shout, “Unclean, unclean” shouted back at him, “I’m a leper.”
3. One of the questions we must think about this morning is “do we recognize that our spiritual condition begins like the story of the leper?” We have a disease. It’s called sin. It has affected every area of our lives—soul, mind, and body. We walk around spiritually unclean. We live everyday with sin decaying our thoughts, our words, our actions, our morality. We are all spiritually dead. But the key word in that question is the word “recognize.” We have to recognize our spiritual condition. We must all recognize our deep spiritual need.
4. Jer 17:9 (ESV) The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
5. Rom 3:10 (ESV) as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
6. Psa 14:1-3 (ESV) To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. [2] The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. [3] They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
7. Rom 3:11-18 (ESV) no one understands; no one seeks for God. [12] All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” [13] “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” [14] “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” [15] “Their feet are swift to shed blood; [16] in their paths are ruin and misery, [17] and the way of peace they have not known.” [18] “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
8. Eph 2:1-3 (ESV) And you were dead in the trespasses and sins [2] in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— [3] among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

2. We must all recognize our only hope is Jesus.

Mrk 1:40-42 (ESV) And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” [41] Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” [42] And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

1. The leper came to Jesus. The leper recognized his condition was hopeless, so he threw away all rule and practice of the day. He came to the town where Jesus was, and he went into the town with people all around. He pushed his way through the crowd and came to Jesus, imploring him to come near to him and he fell at the feet of Jesus with his face to the ground.
2. The leper didn’t know if he would, but he knew he could. The leper believed Jesus was the answer to his horrible condition. So, he cried out, “If you will, you can make me clean.”
3. Jesus responded with compassion. “Moved with pity.” Again, we see the compassionate heart of Jesus. He felt this man’s pain. And what does he do about it? What no one ever expected he would. He stretched out his hand and touched the leper. Who knows when the last time was this man had been touched. And this isn’t the touch of someone looking to do the least amount possible, like me when my kids were little and sick with the flu, throwing up all over the place. “Oh, you need someone to love on you and to make you feel better??? See Mom over there. She’s got a great big hug for you!” Jesus lovingly took hold of this man. Making himself unclean by the way. Then Jesus said to the man, “I will; be clean.” What incredible beauty. Jesus reached out and took hold of the man and then spoke the words that brought his healing. So, why touch him in the first place if he is going to heal him by speaking? This is the incredible love, mercy, and compassion of Christ!
4. Jesus brought immediate healing. As soon as Jesus spoke the words, immediately the leprosy left the man. I want us to think about what happened in this moment. A man with full blown leprosy was completely made whole. Skin cleansed and perfectly healed. Fingers and toes were back on his body. Any facial deformities from the decay of the disease were immediately gone. This is absolutely incredible!!! I would love to go back in time and witness this scene!
5. “What is the story being told through the miracle?”
6. Once we recognize our deep spiritual need and recognize that our only hope is Jesus what must we do?
7. We come to Jesus by faith.
8. Here is the advantage we have today over the leper. He knew Jesus could, but he didn’t know if he would. We know that Jesus can heal our sin sick lives, and that Jesus will heal our sin sick lives if we will come to him by faith.
9. Rom 3:23-24 (ESV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
10. Rom 6:23 (ESV) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
11. Rom 10:13 (ESV) For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
12. Even more miraculous than the healing of a leper is the healing of our absolute sinfulness toward God. Just as the leper got a brand new body which resulted in a restored life; through the grace and the gift of Jesus, we get a brand new heart, a restored soul, a renewed mind, we are made truly alive for the first time through Jesus.

3. Jesus accomplished this incredible gift of salvation by taking our place.

Mrk 1:43-45 (ESV) And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, [44] and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” [45] But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

1. Jesus had been in the city and the leper was in a desolate place.
2. Jesus took away the man’s leprosy and gave him perfect healing.
3. The leper is now in the city and Jesus is in a desolate place.
4. Remember Mark 10:45—Jesus came to give his life as a ransom for many. In order to give us the gift of salvation, Jesus came to us, he took our place on the cross, he took our sin upon himself, he took our death and in return he gives us his righteousness, his healing, and he gives us eternal life.