⁴⁰ A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” ⁴¹ Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!” ⁴² Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. ⁴³ After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, ⁴⁴ saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” ⁴⁵ But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.” Mark 1:40-45

“Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him.”  This part of the text may get overlooked by many who read it and do not understand the absolute shock of what Jesus has done. First of all, the man with Leprosy was unclean, and for any person of the Jewish society, to touch someone or something that was unclean put them outside of society (until they were made clean again) and outside of worship. Second, this man was diseased and there wasn’t a cure for the disease, so Jesus, according to those witnessing the event, was placing himself at great risk of also contracting the disease. But this societal boundary is not a boundary for the “Holy One of God”. The “Holy One” cannot be made impure and cannot be held within the constraints of earthly diseases. No matter how filthy, diseased, or contaminated we become from this life, Jesus will always be there for us, bidding us to come, welcoming us with open arms. That alone should give us great hope.

Pastor Dave

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ² As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
³ the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”

⁴ John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁶ Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. ⁸ I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:1-8

Mark is the first of the Gospels to be written according to most biblical scholars.  Mark is written in such a manner that it most closely reflects the oral culture from which it springs. It reads as a good story. There are certain characteristics of this Mark that you should keep in mind as you read this Gospel. First there is unusual urgency in this story. Things tend to happen very quickly with the word “immediately” repeated throughout the text. There is more of an emphasis on Jesus’ deeds than on his words. There is a relatively long passion narrative at the end of the Gospel. There are narrative “anticipations” throughout the text (see Mark 3:9 and 4:1) and often one story will be inserted within another story (see Mark 6:14 – 19). Finally, Mark’s Gospel is written for a Gentile audience and there is a Motif of Secrecy that occurs throughout the text. Jesus tells others “not to tell” of his deeds–and he silences demons.  Watch for these themes, and most importantly, enjoy the story.

Pastor Dave