Mark 1:40-45 He Can, He Will

Introduction: Turn to Mark 1, for the final time… Context, baptism, repent & believe, wilderness (#1 of 2?), Synagogue “unclean” in demonic sense; healings…Jesus’ statement to move on to preserve his preaching ministry…Next we have a situation not of demonic possession but of the misery of the fall, our inability to restore ourselves to the how things are meant to be…And a firm conclusion Christ has Pity on our Sin & Misery. This passage powerfully resonates with us today, Jesus healing the leper. There are just two cases of it in the gospels. But they stand out because in it we see mirrored in the physical condition of this man—our spiritual relationship to our sinful hearts—Will Christ make us whole? Does Christ pity us? Will we be made clean? Will we obey Christ once cleansed?Read: Mark 1:40–45[40] And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” [41] Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” [42] And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. [43] And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, [44] and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” [45] But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.Prayer of Illumination#1 A Miserable Condition#2 A Compassionate Savior#3 A Complete Cleansing#4 A Call to Silence#1 A Miserable Condition “if you will, you can” v.40And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.”What is The Problem?a. The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and…misery…The misery of the leperi. Various skin diseasesii. Incurable certainly not immediately like Jesus does hereiii. Causes separation from1. Family, community, Synagogue, and Temple2. “shouting unclean, unclean”iv. It is an effect of the fall…and more importantly it is a visible objective misery….So Jesus is showing his visible, verifiable, and objective power over what—the curse of the fall.1. The fall brought us into an estate of sin and misery2. Our spiritual condition meansa. This world is not how it ought to beb. Death is not how things ought to be…disease either…c. And in Israel they were set apart as a Holy Priesthood. IN fellowship with the Holy, Holy, Holy God and Israel in essence anticipated God present with his people on earth…it anticipates the New Heavens and the New Earth and in the new heavens and new earth where and when sin and the affects of the fall cannot dwell there.d. The ceremonial clean and unclean laws taught Israel— 1) they were unable to cleanse themselves from their own sins… 2) They needed a priest to cleanse them and to declare them clean, and 3) that sin separates us from God and Man.v. Sin separates…we cannot cleanse ourselves…we cannot save ourselves.1. Prayers, Fastings, religious ceremonies, giving to charity, hrs of meditations, and working on yourself, improving your mental health, education, wealth, whatever you can name, will never penetrate to the depths of the need for a new heart, soul, mind, and complete restoration…Only the Holy Spirit causes us to be born again, a new creation, clean, forgiven, and restored as we already saw at Jesus’ baptism, and his cleansing the man with the unclean spirit.b. The leper goes to Jesus because he sees that Jesus is ABLE. He knows he casts out unclean spirits and heals people of their disease…he falls down in reverence before him.c. But note the worry: “If you will, you can make me clean.”i. He is certain of the “can” Jesus is able!ii. But there is the question—Am I so miserable that Christ will not heal me?d. Two things here, once again the ability of Jesus reveals that he is the sinless savior, who is holy, clean, and righteous the God-Man.i. Jesus is a fitting priest, and a pure sacrifice.ii. He is able but is he willing?1. We recoil from sin and misery, our instinct may be to leave people in their misery2. …Sometimes because we have no solution,a. And we don’t need to take on a savior complex. We recognize we are often not able…3. But second…able but unwilling? sometimes because we are simply unwilling to bear the suffering or sacrifice necessary to fix it…the risk…either cross contamination of their situationIllustration: This question is he willing goes to our greatest fear. I am unlovable, I know what I have down, I know how ugly my sin is…I deserve not only not to be loved by Jesus but pushed away, punished, to pay for the ugliness of my sin…We may fear others discovering the depths of our sins ugliness…and we know Jesus knows. Our Father knows, the Holy Spirit would never want to dwell in my heart.i. Illustration: [“Edmund” … “Eustace” sin is lonely, people may put up with me, but no one wants me…I was beastly to people, I am a beast, I can always and only remain a pitiable unclean dragon.ii. Eustace goes to clean himself up but he needed a Savior to do it for him…iii. You can read the books for yourself.He is able but is he willing?We are like the husband or wife who has a long term illness…cancer, why would they stay with me? I am no longer beautiful, desirable, able bodied, and even my mind causes me to be miserable company…And we know sometimes in these situations the spouse stays sometimes they go….But what lies behind it—An oath, a covenant, a vow!“I, take you, my beloved // to be my wedded wife // and I do promise and covenant // before God and these witnesses // to be your loving and faithful husband // for rich or for poor // in sickness and in health // in plenty and in want // in joy and in sorrow // as long as we both shall live.Jesus is a compassionate savior because he has sworn a covenant vow motivated by love to come and rescue his bride the church. Jesus came to save sinners, to redeem us from our sin…So #1 Our Miserable condition but #2 A Compassionate Savior#2 A Compassionate Savior: “Jesus is moved with pity, compassion” “he touched him” read v. 41 again Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.”· Jesus is the husband still willing to grasp the hand of his bedridden wife.· Remember Jesus is holy and clean in his incarnation as our priest AND he is divinely God. He is not in danger of being unclean…This is the incredible part Jesus is going to lay down his life as the spotless lamb but his perfect righteousness enables him to have compassion on sinners…to dine with, to meet with the woman at the well, a sinful woman, to talk to tax-collectors, and yes to reach down with pity and touch a leper. And to say, Yes, I am willing. Jesus came into the world to break the curse of the fall both in sin and one day yes to destroy all the effects of the fall not just sin and death, but in fact, the entire creation will be restored by his hands.· This moment is echoed in Revelation 1, where John sees the glorious vision of Jesus [expand]. He falls to his knees, and Jesus compassionately lays his hands on John.· So with the leper, is he willing, is he able?o Yes, he is willing he is full of compassion. And God’s word assures us of this over and over again. Jesus has compassion for sinners. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each person of the Trinity shows compassion to sinners, to the unclean, to the miserable, to the outcast.§ Eph. 1 tells us we have forgiveness, that before the foundation of the world, he loved us, that from eternity the plan was to send Christ forth, that what is unholy may be made holy and what is unclean may be made clean, united to Christ Jesus and indwelt with the Holy Spirit.§ God demonstrated his love for us while we were still sinners…because of his great love for us, when we were dead in transgressions he saved us. It was of kindness and love, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy….a merciful and faithful high priest who lays his hands on use…who sympathizes with our weaknesses. Yet is without sin. He is holy and clean. (Rom. 5:8; Eph. 2:4-5; Ti. 3:4-5; Heb. 2:17, Heb. 4:15).o So consider this, Jesus is willing because from Eternity he has made a covenant to in love redeem out of sinful humanity a bride for himself. He had compassion. Loved by the Lord when we were unlovable but betrothed to Christ that we might be his holy bride.· Mark 1:41’s compassion is not a one-off emotion; it flows from the same eternal heart of love and pity that chose to show mercy to sinners in Christ before the world began.o What do you feel in your heart would prevent Jesus from loving you? [pause] Know that he has loved you from eternityo What do you feel makes you so unclean he would never be willing to lay his hands on your shoulder and say, “I will, be clean!” And indeed, you would be clean.o It would be no legal fiction. It would be no get out of jail free card.o You would be clean. You would be immediately and entirely clean.§ J.C. Ryle says, “the morning sun rose upon [the leper], a miserable being, more dead than alive, his whole frame a mass of sores and corruption, his very existence a burden. Then the evening sun saw him full of hope and joy, free from pain, and fit for the society of his fellow men. Surely, the change must have been like life from the dead.” (Ryle, 19).§ Dead to alive. Condemned to Forgiven. Enemy to Son & Daughter.§ Belonging to the kingdom of Satan, to fully belonging to the bride, the Church of Christ.So, #3 A Complete & Certified Cleansing vv. 42-44[42] And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. [43] And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, [44] and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”I will. Be clean.How should this reality change you?First, it means you trust in Christ alone for salvation and cleansing. Not to religious rituals and ceremonies. Christ, his Cross, the Holy Spirit does these things and is received by faith alone, by grace alone, in Christ alone.Jesus sends the man to the Priests to “confirm” to be a witness to the truths of these matters.Two things here the Proof and the Difference1. The proof is that over the coming years, these priests will have themselves certified the healing of this Leper. Jesus is amassing witnesses to his POWER. To his ability to touch this leper and him be cleansed and Jesus to be the true and spotless lamb, the true messiah.So Jesus is creating a legal testimony against the priests because of this certified cleansing of this leper.As I’ve said in previous sermons, never were the actual miracles of Jesus able to be truly opposed, but only the identity of Jesus. The source of power behind the miracles was questioned. Not the miracles themselves. So First proof/2. And second, the difference. How does Jesus differ from the priests? They proclaim clean or unclean; Jesus makes clean! The priests are only certifying what Jesus accomplished. They have no power to cleanse in themselves. All the ceremonial law points to is what Jesus accomplishes. The ceremonial law always pointed beyond itself to the reality. Lepers were walking pictures of the reality of sin. And the priesthood and sacrificial system were pictures of what Jesus does.Just as Water Baptism is God’s promise and pronouncement the reality is the Regenerating and cleansing work of the Holy Spirit.I am not a priest, I do not absolve sin. I read you a scriptural assurance of pardon….All it does it state what already is….Your sin is nailed to the Cross it is done. If you are trusting in Christ you are forgiven. What you are doing is growing in your confirmation of this reality.· A receipt at a restaurant does not pay for the meal; it is just a record that the debt has been paid.· A doctor does the surgery to remove the disease; the follow-up scans only certify the results.This brings us to our final point.#4 A Call to silence, Jesus “sternly” charged the leper to be silent. VV. 43-45And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” …But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news….But…He talked freely, everywhere! Why? Why would he do this?Why? People wanted the miracles, the healing, they did not want Christ they did not want the message of repentance and believing on God to enter the kingdom of God.This stern charge of Jesus is a charge to not only receive cleansing. But to be transformed in all your life, the man has his family, his community, his ability to worship restored. It ought to produce a transformation that makes him a disciple who loves Jesus enough to obey Him. Jesus says, if you love me, you will keep my commandments.To be a disciple means to submit to the whole council of God. Jesus in the great commission says, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV)That word observe is variously translated: “keep” (Matthew 19:17) “kept in custody” (Acts 24:23) “observe” (Matthew 23:3) “reserved” (2 Peter 2:17) “guarding” (Acts 12:6) “held” (Acts 25:21) “keeping watch over” (Matthew 27:54) “maintain” (Ephesians 4:3) “protects” (1 John 5:18) “refrain” (2 Corinthians 11:9) “stay within” (Jude 6)He was clean. He had a command from Christ. He ought to have observed the teaching of Christ. And we laugh and say, it’s so simple just go to the priest and be quiet….Well how many times have we read an epistle, Ephesians, Colossians, and 1 Peter, or any passage of scripture read it, understood what a transformed life of following Jesus would mean, and go away and immediately forget the command, not obey it, and even do the opposite.The principle is this—yes we often want forgiveness of sins—acceptance, the removal of guilt, the removal of shame—but we so often want his things—the improved circumstances—to be clean, but we do not want to be transformed, growing, and maturing disciples; Diligent to out of gratitude and love to obey all that Christ commands us.I don’t want to start listing sin lists or holiness lists of commands of Jesus and the apostles. But I do want the principle…cleansed and restored sinners are called to listen to the voice of the savior. If you love me you will keep my commandments.What’s the damage? What’s the result of this disobedience? It doesn’t say the Leper gets cursed and loses his salvation…It’s sad, but what happens isn’t fire zapping him…but it harms the church. It harms the ministry of Jesus to proclaim salvation and to grow mature disciples. [it’s ironic because it really is a matter of timing. 3 years from then, this leper is doing the right thing.]The man had an excitement, a zeal, and did in his own eyes what his emotions for being healed called for. He was to be anachronistic: an emotions-driven Christian before he was a Word-driven Christian.There is a zeal without knowledge but equally we do not desire knowledge without zeal. Knowledge free courage or courageless knowledge both can be damaging.How should we be warned by this account?1. So excited by the improvement of his life was the Leper that he did not fully submit his heart to every word of Jesus nor did he obey how Jesus would have him respond.2. Verse 45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town3. How many times in church history and in our lives does God give us an instruction we may not fully understand, but it is for the good of others?a. Jesus desired to preach in the synagogues and the towns, but he was hindered by no longer being able to openly minister there…instead, he was driven to the desolate places.4. ILLUSTRATION, This reminds me of the effects of the Second Great Awakening or what I like to call the “not so-great awakening,” for you see in the First Great Awakening the gospel was powerfully preached by men like George Whitfield and John Wesley, and Jonathan Edwards. AND Edwards wrote a book called “religious affections” where he seeks to ask, what is true conversion?, and in it he says, yes, it may produce great emotion and excitement, but true revival has lasting repentance and faith. It bears the fruit of obedience in people’s lives. Transformed lives. So, this is a true Revival that brings about Reformation of Life in the individual and a Reformed Church: And many in the first great awakening, were enfolded into the church for a lifetime of growth, the first great awakening made the churches healthier they were saved from dead orthodoxy and also ultimately being made immature and compromisers, downgraders of biblical doctrine, worship, and church life.a. But the second great awakening in its desires for numbers and excitements switched to entertainment more and more, to not just revival, but revivalism, the anxious bench, emotionalism, the preacher put pressure on the will and emotions of men and used music and the cadence of the preacher as a manipulative to drive people to be caught up more with the human movement itself rather thanwith the supernatural work of God in Christ, by the Gospel, and “making disciples” in gathering people into the bride of Christ the Church.b. And so, the regions of the country that men like Charles Finney served in became known as the burned-over regions…The Congregationalist churches are now Unitarians who deny the trinity, even that Christ is God, the bible is inerrant, and they have turned the supernatural gospel into the social gospel.c. The thrill of the spectacle drives Christ and Christ’s church to desolation. To ignorance of the word of God, the Christian life lived in community. The empty sensationalism lead To fragility between the generations.d. Just as Mark chapter 1 shows the hunger was for the miracle-working of Christ over his preaching, so too the second great awakening led to this.5. And here is what we can say about it, Christ is compassionate, indeed, in the 2nd great awakening many were saved. God sometimes blesses despite the ignoring of his chosen means. The leper was healed, he was restored, despite his ignoring Jesus’ directions in this area….But he still acted in Disobedience. God can salvage souls through disobedience of his methodology.a. In this case, Christ has compassion, he heals, but he directs how to respond.b. Jesus has a consistent mission in Mark chapter 1. Whenever people go for the spectacle and the spectacular over what Jesus says he responds consistently, v. 38 “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”c. What did he come to preach? Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”d. This will be reinforced by the flow of Mark’s gospel in chapter 2, as he heals the paralytic but pronounces before healing him “Your Sins are forgiven.”e. The wages of death or removed, the wrath of God covered, and your relationship with your Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus is reconciled—Son and Daughter of the Creator—In Christ Jesus the King of Kings.f. TO the spiritual Leper, who says “will he cleanse even me? Surely, no my heart is to ugly”i. you can be forgiven, cleansed, and restored to Fellowship with God and God’s people.ii. Go to Christ in prayer, sayin “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner…” Christ loves; He has compassion on sinners.g. And then hear the voice of Christ: live as a follower of Jesus who says, “If you love me you will keep my commandments…” Abide in me and I in you….Be careful: He does not say, “if you want me to love you, you will keep enough rules.” No, He has loved you now in grateful response, as a redeemed sinner respond in loving obedience.i. Do not get swept up with the world and the world’s methods and prioritiesii. Loyally listen to Jesus’ voice.PrayerBenediction This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesensley.substack.com