The Healing of the Leper

Introduction: The Leper's Tragic Condition

0:06 This sermon was preached on Sunday morning, April 1st, 1984, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey.

0:18 Now, God willing, for the last time, I invite you to turn to Mark's Gospel, Chapter 1. We come this morning to consider the closing paragraph in the first chapter of Mark's Gospel as we continue our consecutive expositions of this portion of the Word of God. Mark 1, I begin the reading with verse 40.

0:46 And there cometh to him a leper, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If you are willing, you are able to make me clean. And being moved with compassion, he, that is the Lord Jesus, lashed forth his hand, and touched him, and said unto him, I am willing, be made clean. And straightway the leprosy departed from him, and he was made clean. And he, that is the Lord Jesus, strictly charged him, and straightway sent him out, and said unto him, See that you say nothing to any man, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for him a cup of wine. And offer for your cleansing the things which Moses commanded. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to spread abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into a city, but was without in desert places, and they came to him from every quarter. Now let us once again seek the help of God as we study his Word.

2:07 Holy Father, as we bow our heads and our hearts in your presence, we acknowledge once again that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. We remember the words of our Lord Jesus, Without me, you can do nothing. And we therefore come in a conscious act of confessing our helplessness, and plead that you, even in this very hour, would so come upon us, in the opening up of the Word, that we will be very conscious, that we are in your presence, and that you are ministering food to our souls. O Lord, help the one who attempts to open up and apply your Word. Help every listener, from the youngest to the oldest, that together we may know your blessed presence in the ministry of the Word of God. Bind the powers of darkness, drive, we pray, the shades of night from our minds and the dullness from our hearts, and capture us by your Word in this hour.

3:25 For Jesus' sake. Amen. Now as we begin our study of this passage this morning, I want to press several very personal and very pointed questions upon each one of you, youngsters, teenagers, adults in the prime of life, those of us going down the hill the other side. And the questions that I set before you are these.

3:59 How do you think you would feel, how do you think you would react, if tomorrow you went to a competent physician, and after thoroughly examining you, he told you, reluctantly, solemnly, and yet, tell you he must, that he was convinced that you had a loathsome, spreading, incurable, degenerative disease that was going to take away your very life within a short time. How do you think you would feel if you came home from that shocking news, and you found a notice from the local board of health saying that within 24 hours, you had to move out of your house, somewhere outside the limits of your town, and there set up housekeeping in isolation from all of your neighbors, and from everyone else in the community. How do you think you would feel? You have just been told that you have a horrible disease, a loathsome, spreading, incurable disease that is going to take away your very life, and then added to that, you are told that you must vacate your house, vacate your premises. Then imagine how you would feel

5:21 if there was hand delivered to you a letter from the elders saying that you could no longer come to any service of public worship, nor could you have any fellowship with God's people in their homes. How do you think you would feel if such a situation became your experience? Well, that's a little bit of what this man knew and felt who is talked about in this passage. Because this passage tells us that during this Galilean ministry of the Lord Jesus, he had these very personal and gracious dealings with a man who is described only by the term a leper. Verse 40, There came to him a leper. Now some conjecture that this might be the very Simon the leper into whose house Jesus went. Later on in his ministry toward the close of his earthly ministry, but that's only a guess.

6:25 And we know from the scriptures that the life of a leper in Israel was indeed a most miserable lot. And while people debate is the leprosy of the New Testament anything akin to the leprosy we know about in our day, and we've seen the pictures of people's fingers rotting off and their noses half eaten away and their ears. Well, we do not know for sure, but this much is clear. Whatever leprosy was in the New Testament, it was basically the identical disease in the Old Testament because the word of God says there were many lepers in the New Testament it says this, in the days of Elisha the prophet. But only Naaman the Syrian was cleansed of his leprosy. And the words used for leprosy are the basic words used in the Old and the New Testament so that though there may not be perfect identity there is a general similarity between the leprosy of the New Testament and the Old. And therefore without having to rest upon secular authorities and medical analysis anything that I say about leprosy will be taken directly from the word of God.

7:43 And according to the word of God in Leviticus 13, and 14, God gave a careful description for the detection of leprosy, for the treatment of a leper, and for his ceremonial cleansing should the disease go into remission or should it be marvelously healed by the power of God. And the worst of these strictures for a leper in the Old Testament is given to us in Leviticus 13 and verses 44 and 45 and 46. And the leper in whom the plague is his clothes shall be torn and the hair of his head shall go loose and he shall cover his upper lip and shall cry, unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague is in him he shall be unclean. He is unclean. He shall dwell alone without the camp shall his dwelling be.

8:49 And you'll remember that anyone who was ceremonially unclean could not partake of the public worship of God, could not come to the tabernacle and later to the temple. If anyone were to touch him, that person was declared unclean and had to go through a complicated ritual of ceremonial cleansing. And this is why a leper, wherever he was in the presence of people, had to place his finger upon his lip and cry, unclean, unclean, so that people would avoid him. Without the city, outside the camp, someone, as it were, excommunicated from the life of God's people, from the public worship of God.

9:31 This leper had a tragic and miserable lot in the land of Israel. Now add to those factors the fact that in the scriptures leprosy was often an indication of a judicial punishment of God upon the person who was afflicted with it. Not always, but often. You remember the story of Miriam and Aaron?

9:54 They got kind of snotty and nasty, thought that Moses was taking too much on himself and they began to grumble and complain about it, and God smites Miriam with leprosy. It was a judicial judgment of God. And it's interesting that when Aaron prays for her, you'll notice something of the condition of this matter of leprosy in Israel. In the book of Numbers, chapter 12, verses 9 and 10, whatever leprosy was in Israel, it was something probably at least close to the kind of leprosy that we have heard about and the pictures we have seen, because as Aaron prays for Miriam, notice the language of his prayer, Numbers chapter 12, 9 and 10, the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, the cloud removed from over the tent, and notice, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. And Aaron looked upon Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, O my Lord, lay not, I pray you, sin upon us, for that we have done foolishly, and for what we have sinned. Let her not, I pray, be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed, when he comes out of his mother's womb.

11:17 So you see the comparison he makes? Lord, if you don't touch and remove the leprosy, she will be as a stillborn child whose flesh is full of gangrene when it's born in that stillborn condition. So leprosy was indeed a tragic and horrible thing, and often associated with a judicial judgment of God. You remember Gehazi, we read about him last week, when he took those things and tried to lie to the prophet, he was smitten with leprosy.

11:49 And likewise with King Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26, 19 through 21. Notice what happened to this king who turned away from the way and the word of God, 2 Chronicles 26, 19 through 21. Uzziah was wroth and had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy broke forth in his forehead before the priest in the house of the Lord beside the altar of incense. And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked upon him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead.

12:29 And they thrust him out quickly from thence. Yea, himself hasted to go out also, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper to the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house being a leper. He was cut off from the house of Jehovah.

The Leper's Approach to Jesus (Mark 1:40)

12:50 So you see something of the tragic circumstances that would come to a person afflicted with leprosy. Now it's just such a man whom we encounter in this last paragraph of the first chapter of Mark's Gospel. And with that biblical background giving us a little feel for the condition of the man, what I propose to do is simply open up the facts of the narrative, and with the exception of verses 43 and 44, which are a unit, each verse is a distinct movement in the unfolding facts, and I'll give a separate heading to each verse. And having unpacked the facts of the passage, we'll then come back and consider its abiding message to our own hearts. We have first of all in verse 40, the leper's approach to Jesus. And there cometh to him a leper beseeching him, and kneeling down before him, and saying unto him, If you are willing, you can make me clean. Luke adds this note that it was when Jesus was in one of the cities, that is, one of the cities in his Galilean ministry.

14:07 According to Matthew, according to Matthew 8, 1, a multitude was at least nearby, if not actually surrounding the man when he made his approach to Jesus. So try to picture what Mark describes for us. There's a multitude, that multitude that pressed upon the Lord Jesus wherever he went. And then suddenly, out of the multitude comes one who is evidently from all of his physical appearance afflicted with this dread, this horrible, this hopeless, degenerative disease called leprosy.

14:43 And if he was an obedient Jew, one could easily mark him because he would have his finger upon his upper lip. And even as he made his way to the Lord Jesus, he would be crying, Unclean! Unclean! Unclean!

14:58 And he comes into the very presence of our Lord, and when we take Matthew's account and Mark and Luke and put them together, here's the picture we get, that he falls down upon his knees, and then Luke tells us upon his face and in oriental fashion he does obeisance before the presence of Jesus and addresses him as Lord. And then from his lips comes this earnest plea, If you are willing, you, if you are willing, you are able to make me clean. As he bowed before the Lord Jesus, he had unshakable confidence in the power of Jesus to cleanse him of his leprosy. If you are willing, you are able. There was no question about the ability of the Lord Jesus. So there was unshakable confidence and unquestioned certainty as to the power of Jesus, but he is not certain as to the intention of the will of Jesus. You notice that?

16:06 If you are willing, you are able. No question of your ability, the question is the intention of your will. Now, why did he express himself that way? Well, it could have been that there was no precedent up till this time of Jesus cleansing a leper.

16:26 We've read in Mark's Gospel that all kinds of diseases were healed, demons were cast out, but in all of the Gospel records, there's only a record of two healings of leprosy, the cleansing of the ten lepers in Luke 17, and this one. Now, we know that cleansing lepers was part of his general ministry when the messengers come to Jesus and say, are you the one? Or should we look for another? He said, go back to John and tell him this, lepers are cleansed.

16:55 So we dare not assume that only the two recorded in Scripture, the ten and this one, are the only ones, but apparently the cleansing of leprosy did not become an ordinary miracle. There was something so peculiar about this matter of leprosy that the infrequency of the healings would highlight the significance of the healings. So perhaps he's simply expressing that mindset. I've not heard that you cleanse the leper.

17:23 I've heard throughout Capernaum that you cast out demons. I've heard throughout Capernaum that you are able to straighten out twisted arms and open blinded eyes and unstop deafened ears, but I've not heard it, that you have cleansed a leper. But Lord, if you can do all of that, surely if you have power to open blind eyes and unstop deafened ears and straighten out crooked limbs, surely there is no doubt about your power. You are able, but Lord, I do not know the disposition of your will.

17:52 Or it could be that bound up in his word, Lord, as we read in Matthew's Gospel, is something more than an address of respect. It could be that there are in those words the very seeds of an intelligent and submissive faith, so that what he is really saying is this, you are the Lord, you are the sovereign Lord, and your will is the supreme determiner of everything in your universe. I have no doubt about your power, but I dare not presume upon your sovereign will. If you are willing, you are able.

Jesus' Compassionate Response and Instantaneous Healing (Mark 1:41-42)

18:37 Now what is the response of Jesus to the leper? Verse 41, And Jesus, being moved with compassion, stretched forth his hand, and touched him, and said unto him, I will be made clean. The response of the Lord Jesus is described in two dimensions, an outward response that is preceded by an inward response. Notice, first of all, the inward response, and being moved with compassion.

19:15 You see, the Hebrews had a much more vigorous way of describing inner emotions. We say my heart was moved. We take one of the internal organs. Well, the word here in the Greek literally means the upper viscera that would include the heart, the lungs, the liver, spleen, stomach.

19:36 In other words, my whole insides are moved. That's the word used here, that when Jesus looked upon this mass of human misery, when he looked upon this man afflicted with the living death of leprosy, he did not simply see another wreck of sinful humanity and say, well, when you've seen one, you've seen them all. He had been in direct contact that night at the door of Peter's house with all forms of sickness and disease, but he never became hardened to it. And as he now looks upon the terrible ravages that sin has brought in terms of this horrible disease, the Scripture says his whole inner being was moved towards that man, and Jesus moved with compassion. That's the inward response of our Lord to a leper. Not one of disgust, not one of turning away, you're unclean, but moved with compassion. Then the outward response is described in terms of the hand stretched forth and the voice that spoke.

20:52 Notice, and he stretched forth his hand, and then he said unto him, he stretched forth his hand. Can you imagine what would have happened? Here's the multitude beholding this scene. The man afflicted with leprosy.

21:09 Luke tells us he was full of leprosy, leprosy in its advanced stages, probably written all over his physical frame. They've heard him cry as he approached Jesus, unclean, unclean, and they've jumped back lest he touch them and render them ceremonially unclean. And now the great teacher with this man at his feet does something unthinkable. He stretches out his hand to make himself unclean.

21:41 He stretches out his hand and one can only imagine the gasps of horror and shock that he would touch a leper. But the scripture tells us he touched him. And then the Jesus who touches him speaks. And there's a beautiful play of words here.

22:02 If you will, you can make me clean, Jesus said. I am willing to be made clean. You see something of the parallel? That authoritative word that our Lord speaks, that almighty creative word that spoke in the synagogue to the demon, be muzzled and come out.

22:27 Now that same will is exercised for the healing of a leper and he says, I will. And once my will is committed, my word will bring to pass what my will decrees. I will be made clean. And then verse 42, what's the result of the touch and the word of Jesus?

22:48 Beautifully, simply stated and straightway, without any delay, without any process, without any stages, straightway, the leprosy departed from him and he was made clean. The leprosy was removed instantaneously, completely. He was restored to the state of health that would be normal for any man of his age and in his general state and condition. There was, as I say, no process, there were no degrees, instantaneous, complete healing.

The Strange and Solemn Charge of Jesus (Mark 1:43-44)

23:26 The leprosy and all of its attendants have fled and now he is rendered clean because he no longer has this dread disease. Then notice in verses 43, and 44, what I'm calling the strange and solemn charge of Jesus. What a study in contrast. We see him first of all in the presence of the leper moved with compassion.

23:53 And in my own mind's eye I try to imagine what must the compassion of Jesus have registered in his eyes as he looked upon human suffering. The eyes in many senses are the window of the soul and when infinite divine compassion looked out through the eyes of Jesus it's probably because it was so evident upon his countenance that Peter as an eyewitness who later on passed on the information to Mark could say of an inward disposition Jesus was moved with compassion not because the Lord directly disclosed his inward disposition but because of what could be read in the eyes by any eyewitness. But now suddenly the same eyes that may I say it without being irreverent oozed with compassion now show a look of almost angry sternness. For the text tells us that Jesus gives a strange and solemn charge to this man. Verse 43 And he strictly charged him and straightway sent him out and said unto him See that you say nothing to any man but go show yourself unto the priest and offer for your cleansing the things which Moses commanded for a testimony unto them. Notice first of all the manner of this charge.

25:21 The word used in verse 43 he strictly charged him is a word which comes from a root which means to snort at someone. It's the picture of an angry war horse pawing the ground and snorting through his nostrils. That's why the margin of the 1901 says he sternly charged him. The translators fight for something that is an equivalent and they fish for it.

25:52 There was an element of sternness a tinge of holy anger. Perhaps the best we can do with our American East is to say he vehemently charged him. Now what a contrast. From the tender gentle compassion that looks upon this mass of suffering humanity now to a solemn stern charge that has the overtones of vehemence and perhaps even a shade of holy anger.

26:25 That's the manner of it. Now what's the substance of it? Well it had a negative and a positive. Look at the negative.

26:31 He solemnly, sternly, vehemently charges him and he says see that you say nothing to anyone. In the original you have a double negative. Say to no man nothing. That's bad English but it's good Greek.

26:49 You see they can pile up the negatives and not be guilty of bad grammar. So Jesus was very explicit. Say to no man nothing. Now that's a temporary and a relative prohibition.

27:05 It was not to continue for the rest of his life. It was temporary and it was in relationship to that which he gives in the positive. Now notice the positive. He says go not to a priest but the definite article is there probably not conclusively but probably pointing to the fact that he's saying go to the priest that is the high priest who is now on service at Jerusalem.

27:31 Go down to Jerusalem and there in the temple do the very things that are prescribed by Moses in the ritual out there outlined in Leviticus chapter 13 and chapter 14. Go there and go through every detail of that mosaic ritual. Now I would urge some of you who are parents and the rest of you who are not on your own to read those chapters this afternoon at your leisure. And you will notice that the summary of what was required extended over eight days.

28:06 On the first day there was a ritual which basically reinstated the cleansed leper to the position of acceptance within the community of God's people. Then seven days later on the eighth day there was a more complicated ritual with the offering of two animals and that reinstated him to the very worship of the living God. So there was a ritual extending over eight days involving two sets of offerings a very detailed and complicated ritual and the Lord Jesus says I want you not to go out and proclaim abroad what has happened to you but go immediately first of all as a matter of priority go to the priest offer what is prescribed in the law of Moses and what's the purpose? Look at the text. For a testimony or a witness unto them. And most likely what that means is as a witness unto the priests.

29:10 To a witness to those in Jerusalem who have heard about me in my earlier Judean ministry who have heard the prejudicial testimony of those who hate me and deny my identity go as a witness to them. In other words Jesus did not want the priest in Jerusalem to hear about the cleansing of a leper second hand. Then they'd be able to say oh no the guy really didn't have leprosy or this wasn't true or the other. You remember how they constantly tried to deny the miracles of Jesus.

29:42 And even when they couldn't they had to find some other explanation. Their mindset was my mind is made up don't confuse me with facts. And Jesus wanted this man to go directly and through that eight day ritual establish conclusively that he was indeed a cleansed leper as a testimony of his own identity as Israel's Messiah who with the spirit of God upon him had come to proclaim liberty to the captives. Well there's the strange directive of our Lord.

The Disobedience of the Healed Leper and Its Consequences (Mark 1:45)

30:12 Now notice in the following verse the disobedience of the healed leper. The disobedience of the healed leper. But he went out and began to publish it much and to spread abroad the matter insomuch that Jesus could no longer openly enter into the city but was without in desert places and they came to him from every quarter. The details of his disobedience are given.

30:42 Now whether he eventually ever got to the priest we don't know. Whether he went after a few days or weeks we don't know. The only thing Mark underscores is his disobedience to the clear command. He was told not to publish this abroad.

30:59 He was told to go and offer the things commanded by Moses. But he didn't do that. And the results of that of his heralding abroad for the two words used one of them means to proclaim as a herald and the other to report a matter until it permeates through an area. So there was profuse repetition of this testimony of what had happened to him and the results are described by Mark.

31:26 Jesus could no longer do as he was doing up in verse 39. He would enter into their synagogues throughout all Galilee preaching and casting out demons. That practice had to be suspended for a time for when he would come to the gates of a city where this man had gone telling what had happened there would be a mob waiting for him who were not concerned about his preaching but who wanted more and more signs and more and more miracles. And he could not go into the synagogue he couldn't make it to the synagogue and there establish the primacy of preaching.

32:01 Everyone was clamoring for a miracle. And so Jesus like his forerunner John went out into the desolate places out into the desert places the more wilderness places and there as it were he set up camp and those who had an additional impetus and a greater desire would come to him literally from every quarter from all directions we would say from all points of the compass they gathered to him. And Luke adds a beautiful little stroke and says that during this time he gave himself to unusual seasons of prayer and there he was in the deserts praying. Well, those are the facts of the narrative.

Abiding Message: The Leper's Example of Faith and Unwise Zeal

32:46 Now what in the world does that say to us? Nobody here is a leper? Anyone here have fingers falling off from leprosy? A nose half eaten away?

32:56 What is there in all of this that speaks to us in our world this morning? What is the abiding message of the narrative? Well, let me set before you three categories of answer to that question. First of all, there is an abiding message in the example of the leper.

33:14 This leper is first of all a wonderful example of aggressive faith. This leper is a wonderful example of aggressive faith. Hebrews 11.6 Without faith it is impossible to please him for he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him how?

33:40 Diligently. Who seek him diligently. Now remember where a leper was in the place of exile. He hears about Jesus of Nazareth but Jesus is surrounded with a crowd in one of their cities.

33:53 And he is an unclean and oddly despicable leper. He could have all kinds of reasons for staying at a distance and somehow hoping that in some way or another the Lord Jesus will come and would cast his loving eye upon him and make his way to him. But he doesn't do that. The text says, And there cometh to him a leper.

34:17 Oh, the faith bound up in that phrase. When a leper dares to get to Jesus through a cloud of ritualistic Jews here is a man determined to receive blessing from the Son of God. He runs the risk of public ridicule. He runs the risk of public rebuke.

34:38 And he places himself in the posture of earnest entreaty that cannot be ignored by the Son of God. And in so doing he is a marvelous example of aggressive faith. There is an element in faith that is described in the Biblical terms resting in the Lord. But there is another dimension of faith that is called earnestly seeking him.

35:03 And here at this point the leper becomes to us a wonderful example of that faith that is determined to break through all of the impediments and difficulties and hindrances so determined to have blessing from Christ that will not be turned aside by the slightest discouragement that is placed in our way. Then he is also a wonderful example of submissive faith. Not only an example of aggressive faith but of submissive faith. His words are simple and clear.

35:37 Lord Jesus, if you are willing to do this you are able. He had no word from God intimating God's will with respect to his own case. There was perhaps no precedent. There was no special word from Christ.

35:57 This has a very vital word to say to us specifically with regard to this matter of physical healing. With respect to material provision and material well-being. There is a broad in our day and there has been for some time and it comes with increasing waves upon the church the notion that if you go to God you can claim whatever you want and if you believe it firmly enough you'll get it. In other words, faith is a kind of spiritual hammerlock and you get God in it and you press and press and press until God says, Uncle, I've had enough.

36:33 I'll give it to you. That's a pagan notion. It borders, if not actually enters into the realm of blasphemy. It's impudence.

36:44 This man is a wonderful example of submissive faith. Lord, I have no doubt of your ability but I have no revelation of your will. I throw myself in loving trust upon the goodness and the dispositions of your sovereign will. When you're praying for physical healing that's how you pray.

37:06 That's how Paul prayed. For this thing I call, this thing I claimed thrice. No. For this thing I sought the Lord thrice.

37:17 Lord, you're able. I don't know your will if it please you, God. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. Don't let anybody bully you into thinking you're unbelieving when you go to God and don't quote, claim your healing.

37:34 You're a man, a woman of faith when you say solemnly and honestly in the presence of God, O God, whatever this malady is I believe you to be the God who spoke worlds into being. You could speak the word and this disease would leave, this impediment would be removed. Lord, I know you're able but I do not know your will. Your ways are past tracing out.

38:00 If it please you, Lord, don't any of you ever fall into that impudent blasphemous notion that you can get God in a hammerlock with so-called faith and claim loud enough and long enough until you get God to say uncle. But then he's also a wonderful example. I shouldn't say wonderful. He's a sobering example of what I would call unwise zeal.

38:28 Of unwise zeal. He is a sobering example of one whose zeal took him beyond the boundaries of the revealed will of God. Now, when Jesus spoke to this man and said, don't tell what has happened to you, he was asking him to do something that was very unnatural. Put yourself in the place of a leper.

38:57 Put yourself in the place of one who knows that you have a disease in its advanced stages that is a living death. You've been cut off from the worship of God, the fellowship of his people. You've had to bear the social stigma, crying wherever you go, unclean, unclean. You've had to live with that horrible living death and now you look at your flesh and it's as white and soft and supple as a child's.

39:23 You can look in some kind of crude reflecting device in that day and see the flesh of your face whole. And you don't have those stares whenever you walk. For a man like that to be silent, that's not natural. Why, the most natural thing in the world for him would be to go clicking his heels and running through the streets and showing off his hands and his face.

39:46 Jesus asked him to do something very unnatural. And he didn't do it in a way that the man could mistake. His manner and his word were clear. He sternly charged him.

39:58 When you as a father turn to your kids and say, hey, sonny, come on over here. Say it like that, the kid might think, well, you do or you don't. You say to him, son, come here. He knows that means business.

40:15 Before the words ever open with the directive, the manner goes before and prepares the way. When Jesus, having looked with compassion, said, I am willing, he made clean and he saw his leprosy go. Suddenly the compassionate face changes and the eyes reflect sternness. And he solemnly charges and says, don't tell anyone under any circumstances.

40:38 Go to the priest. The manner and the specifics of the directive were very clear. But it says, but he went out. But he went out and began to proclaim as a herald and to spread abroad to that area the news of what had happened.

40:59 Now, why do you think he did that? Do you think he meant to impede the progress of the gospel or to aid the progress of the gospel? Why, he thought, for sure. There are all these lepers who need healing and all these people who need to know the Messiah has come.

41:16 Surely no harm can come from my telling abroad what Jesus has done. But you see what the result of his unwise and untimely zeal was? It brought an impediment to the method by which Jesus had chosen to reach that area. Jesus could no longer openly enter into a city.

41:38 The only thing the Holy Spirit underscores here is the terrible fruit of this man's unwise zeal. One of the old writers picked up on this and stated so perceptively the principle. I quote from old David Brown, his comments on the gospels. Our own sense of propriety is never to be carried out in opposition to commanded duty.

42:08 The strange command of Christ would seem to this healed leper to be more honored in the breach of it than in the observance. In blazing abroad his cure he would seem to himself to be simply obeying a resistless and holy impulse. And but for the injunction in this particular case to do the very opposite he would have acted most laudably. In other words if Jesus had said nothing for him to go out and blazing it abroad would have been proper, natural.

42:36 But after receiving a command to keep silence the part of duty was not to judge the command but to obey it. As he was no competent judge of the reasons which dictated the command so he ought to have brought into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. You see the lesson? God does not need our unwise zeal in doing his work.

43:00 Let me state it this way. Unholy zeal which disobeys the word of Christ in order to promote the knowledge of Christ always ultimately undermines the work of Christ. Unholy zeal which disobeys the word of Christ in order to promote the knowledge of Christ always ultimately undermines the work of Christ. Oh but you see if I date that unsafe fellow I can witness to him.

43:35 I can advance the knowledge of Christ. And I can keep a rein upon my feelings. I won't fall in love with him. I won't fall in love with her.

43:46 I want to win them to Christ. And we could bring down here the string of broken hearted men and women who are the tragic fruits of thinking. They could advance the knowledge of Christ at the expense of the word of Christ by dating unsaved people with a view to witnessing to them. Even marrying them with a view to winning them.

44:10 Who knoweth, O man, whether thou shalt win thy wife? Who knoweth, O women, whether thou shalt win thy husband? We see it with respect to mixed evangelists people saying well we've got to get the gospel to the liberals. Oh so it doesn't matter if you join hands with them in order to get the gospel preached as long as they don't tell me to pare back on my message.

44:32 Why certainly there can be nothing wrong with just sitting on a platform with a known denier of the validity and inspiration of scripture and the full true deity of Christ. He might even get saved while I preach. The word of God says no. The word of God forbids compromising alliances.

44:50 The word of God forbids compromising alliances with those who deny the essential tenets of the Christian religion. They are called anti-Christ. And my dear people with respect to what we've been studying in Sunday school you see the application? Your children don't need your help to do anything unbiblical with regard to their relationship to the church in order to help their faith.

45:19 What is done sincerely and naturally if done contrary to the word of Christ will ultimately undermine the work of Christ. And this leper, he's a mixed person isn't he? On the one hand a wonderful example of aggressive faith of submissive faith but on the other hand a sobering example of unholy, unwise zeal. But then I hurry to touch very briefly on the second category the significance of the disease of leprosy.

Abiding Message: The Significance of Leprosy as a Picture of Sin

45:54 Part of the abiding message of the passage comes to us from the very nature of that disease of leprosy. And the responsible position of most students of the word of God is that leprosy is in a totally different category than any other disease in the Bible. God gives more specific directions about its detection what to do with a leper, how he should be cleansed than in any other kind of disease. In fact the ritual for the restoration of a leper is as extensive as the ritual for the day of atonement.

46:26 God's saying something to us. The fact that there were many lepers in Israel but only one was cleansed and that one was a gentile in the days of the prophet. The fact that the gospels record all kinds of healings of all kinds of diseases but so spartan with respect to leprosy. The established perspective of the students of the word of God through the ages has been that God has given leprosy as a picture of the tragic malady of sin.

46:57 Its horrible infectious nature stamping as it were upon the stumps and the rotting flesh of a leper visibly before us how ugly a malady sin is in the eyes of a holy God. It was a malady for which there was no human hope it was a living death. You see of course the great application a man who was cut off from communion with God's people in the formal worship of God who was caused to dwell alone. It's a picture, a horrible picture of the sinner and his sin cut off from God, a stranger from the promises cut off in his miserable state of that living death in sin. And yet the wonder of our passage is that Jesus Christ can meet a leper and cleanse him. If you will, you are able. If you are willing, you are able.

47:57 And Jesus said I am willing and of my ability there is no doubt so I do not need to affirm it I'll simply manifest it. But you see my friend, listen if the man had denied the existence of his leprosy he never would have known the healing power of Jesus. It's when he was willing to come as a leper conscious of his leprosy willing to bear all of the stigma of identification with that horrible disease then he came within the orbit of the delivering power of Jesus. And that's true of your sin for Jesus said I came not to call the righteous but sins to repentance.

48:36 They that are healthy they that are non-leprous have no need of a doctor. And it's only when we're prepared to own our leprosy only when we're prepared to discover the horrible reality of our leprosy but you say how is that done? They had a very detailed ritual in the Old Testament how to discover leprosy, Leviticus 13. You know what God's ritual is for discovering the leprosy of your sin?

49:00 By the law cometh the knowledge of sin. Paul said I was alive apart from the law once I had no leprosy but when the commandment came sin revived and I died. I saw my heart a veritable rotting stinking mass of leprous flesh. You begin to take God's holy law and in all of its breadth and spirituality lay it upon your life your words, your thoughts, your deeds.

Abiding Message: The Glory of Our Savior

49:27 You'll begin to discover that you're a leper unclean, cut off from God in need of His grace. But then I close this morning by pointing to that which is really the theme of the passage by way of its abiding message it's not only found in the example of the leper the unique nature of leprosy but in the glory of our Savior. Remember what Mark is doing he gave us his theme in the very first verse the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ. The Son of God.

50:00 And oh how this passage is full of good news. Let me just point you to a couple of strands of that good news. In a most powerful and graphic way it highlights first of all the large and the tender heart of our Savior. The wellspring of the act of healing was the inner motive and pressure of His compassion.

50:24 What disgusted others what turned them off and turned them away caused the Lord Jesus to stretch out His hand. The act of identification was the fruit of that large and tender heart that was moved with pity. And what a wonderful good news to preach. That no matter how ugly your leprous heart is in the presence of Almighty God there's a compassionate a tender hearted Savior who this day is moved with compassion as He looks down upon all the undeniable evidences of your own leprous nature.

51:04 He is not disgusted. He doesn't turn away. He's not aloof like the rabbis afraid of defilement. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

51:15 But then it also points us not only to the glory of our Lord as the large and tender hearted Savior but His infinite condescension as the Savior of sinners. The infinite condescension sacramentally evidenced in the stretching out of His hand and the touching of an unclean leper. He comes in contact with uncleanness in order to remove it. He comes in contact with uncleanness in order to remove it.

51:47 He touched him and said be clean and the leprosy left. And I see in that detail that Mark gives us a beautiful picture of the incarnation. He was made in the likeness of what? Sinful flesh.

52:03 He was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He came into such contact with us that He might deliver us. Himself stainless, spotless, holy, undefiled separate from sinners and yet He takes upon Him the likeness of sinful flesh. And He becomes so identified with our sin by way of imputation that under the pressure of imputed sin and the felt lash of God's wrath upon the cross that He cries my God, my God why have you forsaken me?

52:46 Thank God for a Savior who touches sinners. Touches them in the incarnation. Touches them by taking our place upon the cross. And then it points finally to the almighty power of our Savior.

53:03 I've been fascinated with the words I will. He made clear. Leprosy cannot stand before the word of an omnipotent Savior who simply says I will it to be so. And I'd like to drag in all the modern healers who claim that they do what Jesus did and say do that.

53:23 With all of their crowd manipulation and all of their incantations and all of their attempts to pump up faith in their devotees. Who among them can say without ritual without any mob psychology to a person in need I will be clean. No process no mind games no head twitching. And to see crooked limbs become straight.

53:47 To see degenerative diseases born. And not be told you've got to take the posture of faith and continue to hold it the minute you lose it your disease will come back on you. And sometimes it will come back as a lying vanity. Don't believe it.

54:00 Don't believe it. You may be in bed with fever of 105 but you're really not sick. That's a lying vanity. That's actually taught by these so-called healers.

54:08 I've heard it with my own ears. And I've read it with my own eyes. Thank God our Savior is not like that. He's a Savior who exerts real almighty power.

54:20 And it says the leprosy left him. And he was clean. And my friend you have an advantage over this man. The only thing submissive faith could frame on his lips was Lord if you're willing you're able.

54:37 We don't need to come to Jesus with our leprosy and say if you're willing. He's told us he's willing. He said him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out. Come unto me all ye that labor nor heavy laden and I will to give you rest.

54:58 I will give you rest. As Bishop Ryle so pointed out he admittedly said men are not lost because they're too bad to be saved but because they will not come to Christ that he may save them. Manasseh was a leper spiritually and morally. He came and found mercy.

55:23 Saul of Tarsus was a leper. His hands were red with the blood of saints. He says who before was a murderer a blasphemer. And yet he found mercy.

55:35 Oh I love that hymn. He is willing. He is able. Doubt no more.

55:44 And that almighty Savior comes to you in his word and says to you you who have formed chains of years standing there is a mindset there is a disposition an attitude a perspective that is nothing short of one that is chained to this world to sin to the flesh to things to the realm of sense to the pine and you say the links are too big I penetrate them. That's right. But there is one who can snap them with a word. I will.

56:19 And the chains will fall off. Oh but you say the patterns the habits the tremendous mountain of guilt and memory. My friend I don't care what your state or condition is. The scripture tells us Jesus is mighty to save.

56:38 You go to him like that leper. Not trying to tell him your leprosy isn't what it appears to be. You just got a few problems here and there. Now you go and say Lord I'm a stinky foul rotten leper.

56:49 God I'm a sinner through and through. Nothing but sin within. Nothing but sin without. But Lord Jesus be merciful to me the sinner.

57:01 And the scripture says him that comes he will in no wise cast out. The almighty power of the Savior. Dear child of God I must just say this as a little aside as we close. If you would be used of God to take that message to others you've got to be like your Savior and be willing to touch sinners where they are.

Conclusion: Call to See Christ as Precious

57:24 Separation from the world does not mean aloofness from sinners. It means getting close enough to make it known that something of the compassion and care of Jesus are in our hearts. And manifesting that compassion that we might see his mighty power at work in their lives. Well a leper came to Jesus.

57:45 He gave his plea. Jesus responded. The Lord gave him a strange charge and command. He disobeyed it.

57:53 We see the results. But in that passage there is set before us the example of the leper. May we imitate his faith both aggressive and submissive. May we avoid his error of thinking there's ever any warrant to disobey Christ in order to do the work of Christ.

58:12 May we learn from the great principle that leprosy is set forth as a type of sin that Christ is able to cleanse the vilest. May we see in his look of compassion his touch of condescension something of the largeness of his heart his condescension to sinners and his almighty power. May God grant that he will be precious to you. If he's not my friend may I ask one simple question in closing.

58:42 Why is he not precious to you? Ought he not to be precious? The scripture says to you that believe he is precious. You know why he's not precious to you?

58:57 Because you don't regard yourself to be a leper who's been touched by almighty power. Give yourself no rest till you see what you are and you'll see how perfectly suited Jesus is to the likes of you. Let us pray. Our Father we thank you in the presence of your holy word for the livingness of your dear son who comes to us out of these verbal galleries of the gospel records.

59:32 We thank you that at least in some little measure we have caught a glimpse of him this morning. O Father by the Spirit so shine upon the face of Christ in some needy heart this morning that someone who has hitherto been indifferent to the spirit of Christ may he and to the state of his or her soul would find himself crying out as the leper did that mercy and grace might be given. We pray for your people that our hearts may be filled with fresh confidence with the aggressiveness of true faith with the submissiveness of true faith. Lord keep us from the error of that well meant but misguided zeal. O Lord deliver us we pray that that is not warranted by the word of God seal your word to our hearts and to your name be praise and honor and glory through Christ our Lord. Amen.