Week 3: Jesus The Healer
Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45, Luke 5:12-16
Is there any part of you that believes that you must clean yourself up before coming to Jesus? Do you think you need to micromanage your habits, tidy up your heart, and your motives before inviting Jesus into your life?
Because of the world we live in, love often gets misrepresented as transactional, instead of the sacrificial way Jesus loves us. In today’s passages of scripture, we see Jesus cleansing a leper. Severely contagious, those with leprosy are familiar with social exclusion, isolation, and being viewed as impure and unclean. To many, this felt like a death sentence.
But Jesus doesn’t hold the sick at arm's length. He never asked them to figure it out on their own. Making his request clear, the leper in Matthew 8, Mark 1, and Luke 5 asks Jesus to cleanse him; not only did he ask boldly, but he believed that Jesus could actually do it. His genuine faith in the Lord is what granted His request (Luke 17:19). After healing him, Jesus asks the leper to keep quiet, indicating Jesus’ desire to heal was not for political power or popularity. He cares about His people. Do we approach our God believing in our hearts and minds that He is more than able? That He has already conquered? (Revelation 5:5) Healing isn’t always guaranteed, for we aren’t in Heaven yet (Hebrews 13:14), but we must believe our God is able, and we must believe that dwelling in His presence is what we truly need.
Touching the leper didn’t make Jesus unclean; it made the leper new. Our unholiness doesn’t dampen the righteousness of our God. Our Father in Heaven is making all things new. Revelation 21:4-5 says that He will wipe away each tear, that death shall be no more, we will be without mourning, crying, and pain, “‘for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
There is hope, Resonate. The Creator of the Universe is for you. He is not holding you at arm's length, and He doesn’t expect you to muster up enough strength to be deemed righteous. Draw near to Him, and invite Him to make you new.
