40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. (NIV)
40 A leper came to him, begging on his knees, “If you want to, you can cleanse me.”
41-45 Deeply moved, Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy. Jesus dismissed him with strict orders: “Say nothing to anyone. Take the offering for cleansing that Moses prescribed and present yourself to the priest. This will validate your healing to the people.” But as soon as the man was out of earshot, he told everyone he met what had happened, spreading the news all over town. So Jesus kept to out-of-the-way places, no longer able to move freely in and out of the city. But people found him, and came from all over. (Message)
Our Master Jesus is the Lord of the earth. He rules His church and sends His servants to the right places and at the right times. He governs the physical and spiritual realms as He has resurrected and been exalted to the highest, exercising His will according to His plan. He also leads the life of all his disciples, shaping and transforming their lives to fulfill their destinies in God's plan. Jesus was deeply moved by an earnest request of a leper who suffered severe skin disease that might exist for a long period of time. Skin disease had cause this leper to suffer a lot of pain physically and emotionally. And also at the same time, this disease had isolated him to participate in God's assembly to have fellowship with God and with God's people. Nevertheless, this great suffering never defeated his faith to come to Jesus for seeking the healing. His faith and also his pain moved Jesus's heart to reach out His hand to heal and to restore the leper's health such that his skin became smooth and healthy again. Jesus is willing to exercise His healing miracles for the sake of God's glory and also for the joy and benefit of His people. The leper restored his health and also his fellowship with God and God's people.
My Master Jesus, grant me the faith like that of the leper, knowing that I can always gain access to You to seek for help and healing, because You are a God of compassion and understanding. I desire to deepen my fellowship both with You and with God's people through my skin diseases as You can turn all kinds of cursing to becoming a blessings for Your glory and our joy.
No comments:
Post a Comment