Jesus Heals

Morning, everyone.

My thanks to Tommy, to you, Dan, Lisa, Deborah, for having me.

My thanks to all of you for letting me join you.

I realized this morning that this is the first time in over a year

that I've actually been in an in-person service.

So it's really great, actually. It feels very special.

And I've been thinking a lot about what it is that I get to do here,

what I get to experience here when gathered with people in person

that you can't do on Zoom.

And so I'm very excited to be here this morning.

For our passage this morning, I think it's important to start with the big picture.

So for those of you who attended the Easter vigil service of last weekend here

or at another church,

that service highlights God's loving pursuit of us over and over again.

The readings from Genesis and Exodus remind us

of God's great acts of creation and recreation,

that God makes all things new,

even when sin and the forces of evil do their worst.

The readings from Ezekiel remind us

that God's salvation is so beyond our imagination

that even what is dead beyond dead can be made alive.

We can be reborn and given new hearts.

The readings from Isaiah and Zephaniah remind us

that God's intention to dwell closely and intimately with his people,

as at the beginning in the garden,

that with the people he loves, created, and redeemed,

will not be thwarted.

The reading from Genesis about Abraham going to sacrifice his son

points to God's son dying for us.

All things made through Jesus will be made new through Jesus.

And so when Jesus came onto the scene and began his ministry,

he came into this long history of deep and powerful experiences with God,

experiences that had created clear expectations of salvation

and deliverance among the people of Israel.

And the world Jesus came into was one where his country was occupied by foreign invaders.

It was a world of food insecurity, of violence, heavy taxation,

and of rigid class layers.

Oppression and injustice worked in lots of different directions.

And it made the people groan.

And the whole nation waited eagerly for the long-awaited Messiah.

Jesus' whole ministry was everything everyone dreamed of, longed for, and hoped for,

but nothing what so many expected.

Jesus was a king coming to bring a new creation, a renewing of all things.

Wherever the king was, the kingdom came too.

Everything, everything Jesus said and did had transformative impact.

The kingdom came in direct and unflinching conflict with the kingdom of darkness,

evident in the forgiveness of sin, the healing of people,

the raising of the dead, and the driving out of demons.

The kingdom came in power against darkness,

but came in gentleness for us,

setting us free and restoring us to close relationship to God again.

God's shepherd was stopping at nothing

until every last sheep was back in his arms.

Our passage this morning slows down the speed of this narrative

and zooms in on one moment in the ministry of Jesus.

This moment is one of a few moments that Mark shares in the first part of his gospel

to show that Jesus is bringing the kingdom on earth and in real time.

Jesus calls his first disciples.

He heals a man with an unclean spirit right in the middle of a church service.

He heals Peter's mother-in-law,

then heals the rest of the city's worth of people who are sick or oppressed by the demonic.

And then after healing the man with leprosy,

he goes on to forgive the sin of a man with paralysis

and heals him so he can walk home.

The kingdom is arrived.

So I want to look at a few things in this particular moment

that Jesus has with the man with leprosy.

In particular, I want to look at the man,

I want to look at what we can learn about Jesus,

and I want to look at the healing that the man received.

So I want to start with a story.

I realized as I was writing this,

this is over 20 years ago,

which I can't believe.

But over 20 years ago,

my wife and I lived and worked in Nepal,

and we were on one of these treacherous bus rides

from Pohra, where we live,

to the capital, Kathmandu.

And we stopped at a rest stop

where everyone was to get off

and buy refreshments

and use this ferocious bathroom.

And we bought our refreshments,

and we turned around,

and there was this young guy standing in front of us

with a very advanced case of leprosy.

I'd never seen this before in my life.

I didn't know much about leprosy.

I didn't know it was called Hansen's disease.

I didn't know anything about how it was transmitted.

But he was standing there,

and it was very difficult for me to look at him.

He was very, very disfigured.

I'd never seen anything like it.

And he kept turning and spitting,

which freaked me out every time,

because I thought,

I'm going to get leprosy.

I'm going to get leprosy.

Of course, you can't get leprosy like that.

But I didn't know this.

It was an overwhelming experience.

What I did know,

and I knew enough about his status

as a person with leprosy in Nepal,

that he was feared,

that he was an outcast,

rejected by his family and his community,

pitied by some,

and by others assumed

to be under some kind of divine judgment.

In the Nepali context,

it would have been bad karma,

payback for something he did in a past life.

So some would have thought he deserved this.

But it wasn't just his physical deformity

that struck me.

It was that he carried about him

the sense of,

I know what I am.

I know I am hideous.

I know I am this thing.

And I know how you feel about me,

just looking at me.

Unfortunately, I felt it was hard.

And when I read this passage,

I realized that this would have been the same

for the man with leprosy

that Jesus encountered.

And in addition to all the unsightliness

of the effects of the disease on him,

the law,

in particular Leviticus 13,

required a person with leprosy

to let their hair hang loose

and not cover their head,

and to cover over any facial hair

as signs of mourning.

And they were,

on top of it all,

whenever they came close to other people,

call out,

unclean, unclean,

to announce that they were coming

and they were unclean

so that people would be aware.

They were to wear these Old Testament

signs of mourning

because they were considered

ritually dead.

That is, cut off from the life

and practice of Israel's worship.

And, in effect,

cut off from God.

And they had to keep calling out

this stigmatizing label

every time they came close

to other people.

People with leprosy

had, by law,

to live away from others

outside of towns and villages.

They couldn't work

and they were dependent

on the charity of others.

There was a great deal of shame

with leprosy,

which went way deeper than

I've done something wrong

to a sense of

I am inherently wrong.

There is something wrong with me.

That's what shame says.

So the man who came to Jesus

with his disease

and all the woundings

of rejection,

shame,

and isolation

came with that

and every sense

that he was cut off from God

in an irreparable way.

The man comes on his knees

and he implores Jesus to help.

But I want you to notice

what he says.

He says,

If you will,

you can make me clean.

The man knew

that Jesus had the power.

He had the ability

to heal him,

to take away his disease

no matter how badly

it had eaten into his body.

But he wasn't sure

that Jesus was willing.

If Jesus is the man of God

that everybody says he is,

then surely

he would not want to do

something like this

for a leper,

someone who is unclean.

The man had faith

that Jesus could,

but not that Jesus would.

And yet,

he came with whatever faith

he did have

and he came with desperation.

The next thing we read

in this passage

is things that Mark tells us

about Jesus

and his response.

And we learn a lot

about what Jesus is like.

And it's worth focusing

on three particular things.

What Jesus felt,

what he did,

and then what he said.

So what did Jesus feel?

It's the first thing

that Mark describes.

Compassion.

The ESV uses the word pity.

Jesus' response

to the man with leprosy

in front of him

with all his disease

is a visceral,

heart-level,

overwhelming,

emotional love.

That's what compassion is.

We should hang on to this

because this is how Jesus feels

every time

for every one of us.

Jesus' actions.

The next thing Mark describes.

Jesus does the unimaginable.

He crosses

the social distance requirement,

maybe pun intended,

and he touches him.

His disciples,

like I freaked out,

would have entirely freaked out.

Jesus was doing

the unconscionable.

And according to the law,

anyone who touched

someone unclean

became themselves unclean.

But perfect love

and perfect holiness

are one and the same.

And when the Son of God

touches someone unclean,

the Son of God

doesn't become unclean,

but his touch,

the very touch of Jesus,

drives out uncleanness.

Jesus.

And then Jesus' words

with his hands on the man.

From that place

of overwhelming love,

Jesus speaks and says,

I will be clean.

These words are even more

striking in the Greek,

which are each

their own words.

Fellow,

katharisteti.

It's an emphatic,

intense expression.

Jesus' words

convey to the man

with an intensity.

He is willing.

You are worthy

of this healing.

I will do this.

And be clean.

Jesus is entirely

opposed to what's

happening to this man.

And he speaks

strong words

of newness

and life

and ultimately

new identity.

Mark reports

that the man

is healed immediately.

One of Mark's

favorite words.

The man's physical

condition is renewed.

His status of unclean

reversed

to that of clean.

The man no longer

had to wear signs

of mourning,

no longer had to

live away from others,

no longer had to

call out unclean

to announce himself

wherever he was,

and he was no longer

cut off from God.

He could return

to his family,

his community,

he could work again,

share meals,

and join with others

in gatherings

of worship.

Now Jesus tells

the man not to tell

anybody about this,

and for good reasons,

and that's probably

another sermon,

but the next part

is important.

Jesus tells the man

to go show

the priest

and to offer

for his cleansing

what the law,

Leviticus 15

specifically,

prescribes.

And this is not

just Jesus

upholding the law.

This is Jesus

using the established

practices

that would allow

a religious authority

to pronounce

his new cleanness,

his new identity,

his new restored status

within the community.

Adding to his

physical healing

was an emotional

and inner healing

from shame.

A social

and financial healing

as the man

re-entered

community life

and worship

and began

to work again.

So a couple

takeaways for us.

First,

what do we learn

about what Jesus

is like?

The way Jesus

felt towards

the man

in today's passage

is how he feels

about you

right now.

Whatever you have

done,

whatever has been

done to you,

whatever you feel

makes you

unacceptable

or even cut off

from God,

Jesus feels

an overwhelming

emotional love

for you

and you are not

cut off.

In fact,

when the man

encountered Jesus,

God the Son,

in all his disease

and all the shame,

he found he wasn't

actually cut off.

The Son of God

reached across

the barrier to him

with love

and touched him

and spoke those

words that healed

him and gave him

new life.

Second,

we all struggle

at some point

to believe that

God is able

or powerful enough

to handle the big

things that come

at us.

And we all struggle

at some point

to believe that

he is willing

to provide

or protect

or heal us.

And in this

passage today,

the moment

that Jesus has

with this man

shows us that

Jesus is both

able and

very willing

with an intensity

to do both,

to help us.

And lastly,

experiencing Jesus

like this is

something he passed

on to the rest

of us,

to his followers.

It's something

that should be

normal for us

as a church

and believers.

And this is

worth going after.

And I want to

encourage all of us

to keep coming

to Jesus

with whatever

faith we have,

with all our

desperation

and the rawness

of it

and seek him

and the newness

of life

that he wants

to give us.

Let me pray

for us.

Lord Jesus,

you know that

we are frail

and made of dust

and so much

of what can

come at us

in this life

that is hard

and dark,

that is broken,

unjust,

oppressive,

and evil

is more than

what we can

handle.

And we know

we need you.

Help us believe

that you are able,

that you're big

enough for it

and help us believe

that you want to,

that you're willing

to step in

and help.

Help us keep

showing up.

Help us keep

our hearts set

on this vision,

this picture of you

that you just long

to do for us

what we can't do

for ourselves

and give us

fullness of life

in every way.

So Lord,

in this season

of Easter

where we remember

and celebrate

your resurrection,

your victory

over death

and sin,

renew our faith,

deepen our faith,

and renew our

showing up to you

for the things

we need.

And we thank you.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.