Growing up I liked to watch reruns of the Twilight Zone and one of my favorite episodes was entitled “Time Enough at Last” from 1959 starring Burgess Meredith. We used part of it for our Easter cantata “One More Day”. He was a book worm that wore coke-bottle glasses and all he wanted was to be alone to read. As a bank teller he would get in trouble for reading and at home his wife wanted his attention. One day at lunch time he heads to the basement and eats lunch in the bank vault, so he can be alone to read. Unbeknownst to him while he’s in there a bomb goes off destroying society. When he steps out of the vault his world is destroyed. There is no one to talk to, no home to sleep, no stores to purchase items or no one to hug or to be hugged by. He is all alone and he begins to go mad. I won’t ruin the ending for you – You can watch it online sometime.
Imagine yourself in his situation – No Home, No Job, No Food, No Money, No Family, No Contact with the world and No Hope of that changing. The only thing that would make that situation worse is if you were actually still in society, but they were the ones that had pushed you away.
Let’s look at a real man that was in this situation.
Mark 1:40-45
This is a man with the disease of leprosy.
In Leviticus the Bible devotes two full chapters with how to deal with leprosy.
It would have started probably with a white spot, then maybe several spots. He would start to lose feeling in his extremities. It would have grown to nodules, then sinking into his skin exposing raw flesh. Due to the loss of feeling he would have damaged his feet or hands without knowing causing infection and tissue breakdown. It would spread throughout his whole body.
The priest was instructed to shut him up for a period of time when the disease first appeared to verify it was real. When it was real he was instructed to leave society. He was forced out of the city and the temple for fear of contaminating.
In fact he had to wear torn clothes to show who he was.
He had to cover his upper lip and yell “Unclean, Unclean” when people drew near
He couldn’t even sit on a rock or drink from a stream for fear he would contaminate others. He relied on the generosity of his family and others to leave him food. It is estimated that the average leper would live only 9 years in that period.
This is the man we find – He is a picture of you and me.
The Bible uses leprosy as a picture of sin in our lives – It shows the rotten and filth of sin
Just as leprosy eats away at the man – sin eats away at our lives
Just as leprosy numbs the nerves – sin leaves us without feeling to its effects
Just as leprosy morphs the man – sin changes us into a person we don’t want
Just as leprosy infects others – our sin effects the lives around us
Just as leprosy forced isolation – our sin isolates our lives from God’s intention
It just starts with a little white spot – Sin is so alluring at first
It looked like a harmless white spot, but it spreads through the whole body.
What Can We Do?
See the leprous man’s coming
Vs. 40 – He kneels down and with faith asks the Lord for healing. Imagine the faith of this man – He approached Jesus breaking all the rules. He says “if thou wilt” – Not “if you can” – I know you can, but will you.
2 Peter 3:9 – “…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”
1 Timothy 2:4 – “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
Christians – We feel like we’ve blown it. Realize God is attracted to humility – I Peter 5:5 – “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble”. The man approached Jesus kneeling and in Matthew’s account in Ch 8 he calls Jesus “Lord”.
We must come to Jesus realizing we’re in a helpless state without Him
- There’s no place else to turn
- Realizing our need is too big for us to handle
- We’re powerless to remedy to situation
It’s when we arrive at this state that we see
Jesus’ Compassion
Vs. 41 we come to Jesus’ Compassion on this man in action – This is one of the most beautiful verses in the entire Word of God. No one had deliberately touched this man in years (Can you imagine?). Jesus intentionally touched this man – He touched him in his diseased state. Should we not reach out like Jesus? (The lost of our family and friends – The “Unseen” people in our society that we look over – The homeless, mentally disabled, physically disabled, those that appear unsightly (Those we won’t make eye contact with)).
When we reach out and touch someone it says what Jesus’ touch told that man (and what it tells you).
- You lost your identity, but you’re somebody to Me
- You lost your dignity, but you’re worth the trouble
- Your sin and scars made you rejected, but I love you and always will
- Your scars isolated you, but you are not alone anymore
Friend – We must show the love God – We weren’t saved to sit in our church pews and isolated circle of friends and family. We must be the example that Jesus set.
Now note – Jesus touched the man and said “I will; be thou clean”.
Vs. 42 tells us the man was “immediately” cleansed. Two words pop out there to me. First – he was “cleansed”. Every other disease you will note as you read is considered a healing. This man was “cleansed”. This was not a surface problem, but a full body disease. Just as our sin problem is not just a single sin issue. We don’t just have sin, but we are sinners – it permeates who and what we are. Our lives need to be cleansed and that only comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s a realization that we are dead in our sin and only by accepting Jesus Christ’s payment through His death, burial and resurrection can we be “cleansed”, saved.
He was cleansed, but notice the 2nd word – “immediately”. The leper was immediately healed. It wasn’t a long term healing, there was no medicine over 2 weeks to take, there was no therapy to get back in shape – It was INSTANT! This is the difference between Religion and Regeneration.
Religion has an agenda. It doesn’t matter the religion – It calls for good works, fasts, rites & rituals, sacrifices and priests. Religion has never cleansed a leper or given a guilty conscience peace. I don’t care if it’s the Catholic religion, Mormons or JW’s or even those the make Baptist a religion. Religion comes from man’s philosophy and wisdom. All religions have one thing in common – They teach salvation must be earned & purchased through good works – That is contrary to God’s Word – Simple verse we use when we visit – Ephesians 2:8, 9.
Regeneration is the opposite of this. Regeneration is what we see here. It is instantaneous, it is miraculous, and is eternal. When we trust in Jesus Christ we are instantly cleansed.
Have you done that today? Have you come to Jesus Christ to touch your life? Maybe you’ve been sitting in church for weeks, months or even years thinking that the religious traditions are what it takes. Realize our singing, worship and service that we do isn’t because we’re earning something from God, it’s an outpouring of our lives because of the love and gratitude for what’s already happened in our lives.
Christian – Don’t allow yourself to slip back into this confusion. Too often after we’re saved we get lulled into a pattern that becomes comfortable. Our service and worship become more like ritual and less dependent on God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s leading. Living a life led by the Holy Spirit is often makes us uncomfortable. It’s often unplanable. We wonder why our Christian life is dull and why we have no desire. Throw out the religion and seek the relationship – Only through a daily relationship do we find purpose and direction in life. No one wants to come to the end of life with zero to show for it. Sitting at church and going through the motions is not what God had in mind for you as a Christian. Our Christian life is supposed to be a Sun thru Sat adventure where we get to pray for others, serve with family and friends, touch the lost. It gives direction for our decisions that is more than just how to get ahead, but has eternal purpose.
When you were touched by God you were immediately cleansed, but we too often slip back into the old life. Jesus knew this and God had set the example for how we could keep this fresh in our lives.
Vs. 43-44 – We see Jesus commission to the man. The man was instructed to not tell anyone that he’d been healed of this terrible disease, but go show himself to priest bringing the proper offerings. What is going on here? If you’re a student of the Bible, this is awesome and gives light into how the whole Bible points to our Savior Jesus Christ.
The man was instructed to go and complete the witness of a healed leper that is spelled out in Lev. 14. Only 3 people in the history of Israel are recorded as being healed from leprosy (Moses, Miriam & Naaman), so it’s a strong bet that there were no priests that had ever performed this task.
The man was to bring with him 2 birds, cedar wood and hyssop for an offering. The offering would go as follows. The first bird would be killed in an earthen vessel under running water (representing the death of Jesus Christ). The second bird would then be dipped in the blood and set free covered in the blood (showing the resurrection and ascension of our Lord – only by shed blood and covering of blood could one be set free). The leper would then be sprinkled with the blood seven times (perfection), showing the leper that apart from the shed blood he would not be accepted before God. The person then would be put away for 8 days (to verify) and then have 2 more offerings.
Please note this because it is a witness to us on how we are to live as Christians. Remember this NEWLY healed, cleansed man had the blood then placed on his right ear, right thumb and right big toe.
- The ear – symbolizing God’s Word in our lives (listening to God’s instruction)
- The thumb – symbolizing God’s Work (all of our activities)
- The toe – symbolizing God’s Walk (clean walk in our lives)
Following the blood, oil was put on the blood in each of the three spots. This symbolized the Holy Spirit of God which makes our new life as Christians possible. The remaining oil was then poured on the man’s head to show our complete dependence on the Holy Spirit in our life. Note that the Holy Spirit can’t come until the blood has been applied. What a picture of our lives!
Unfortunately, Vs. 45 tells us the man did not follow Jesus’ instruction and missed out on growth he would have gained from doing things as God has planned. He also kept some priest or group of priests from hearing and seeing the witness of Jesus Christ.
Does that sound familiar? We like this man often are trying to “do life” our way? How’s that working for us?
Ravi Zacharias often tells that story of a Belgium man named, Joseph Damien that went to the Hawaiian Island of Molokai in the mid-1800’s to minister to a leper colony there. He ministered and touched their lives and spirit to the point that he contracted the disease himself. He continued to minister until his death. Damien was a hero to his country, so his body was taken back and buried in Belgium. The leper’s begged that his body would be buried on Molokai, but Belgium refused. They finally asked and Belgium agreed for just his hand, so that the hand that had touched them could remain with them for a memorial.
What a difference a touch can make in our lives.
Have you experienced the cleansing touch of Jesus Christ in your life? I ask you to come today and speak to one of our counselors and they will share with you how to receive that touch.
Christian – Are you stuck in a religious rut? Life’s too short – Be the feet and hands of Jesus to your world. In your pew or at the altar today ask for God to work in your life.
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