Banqueting Bad (Mark 2:13-17)

In 2013, The Mark restaurant in Bakersfield was host to a gathering of civic leaders. At one table sat an assemblywoman, a state senator, and Pauline Larwood and her husband. For years Pauline had been a governmental relations consultant and was appointed to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges by Governor Schwarzenegger.^[1]

Pauline didn’t usually eat steak, but that day she made an exception.^[2] Unfortunately, she choked on it. After multiple attempts at the Heimlich maneuver failed, Pauline passed out and was turning blue. Her life would’ve ended except for the fact that Dr. Royce Johnson, chief of infectious diseases at the Kern medical center was also at the Mark that day. He calmly borrowed a friend’s knife and a pen. He made an incision in Pauline’s throat, broke the pen in half and emptied the contents, then inserted it to serve as a breathing tube until the ambulance could arrive.^[3] By the next day, Pauline’s family reported that she was doing fine.

Pauline did a lot of things during her life. She was Kern County’s first female supervisor,^[4] honored as a distinguished citizen, involved in a variety of organizations and enterprises. But search her name and it is the saving of her life that always comes up first and foremost.

We have a similar situation tonight. We know stories about Peter or Paul, John-Mark or Judas. But when it comes to Levi, we don’t know much more than the day his life was saved. But, it’s a great story – when it happened, it was shocking and glows with the dazzling light of God’s grace.

Mark 2:13 – ¹³ Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them.

We’re in a section of Mark where he shows us 5 different stories of conflict between Jesus and mostly the Jewish religious leaders who did not like the things Jesus was saying and doing.

But here, after the interruption of the paralytic coming through the roof and the conversation with the scribes right after, we see Jesus back on mission. He’s out teaching and preaching the Good news that the Kingdom was at hand. It was time to repent and respond and join the King.

Now, Jesus had many followers by this point, but Mark has only introduced us to 4 by name: Peter, Andrew, James, and John – all fishermen. All had been called while on the shores of Galilee. Perhaps they thought they were headed out to pick up a few more fishermen – guys they knew, guys they worked with, guys like them. Instead…

Mark 2:14 – ¹⁴ Then, passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.

Levi was not like them. One scholar writes, “For Jesus to call ordinary fishermen to be his disciples was extraordinary; but to call a tax-gatherer to follow him was nothing short of scandalous.”^[5]

The tax system at the time was complicated and changing during these decades.^[6] But, there were tax collectors who were directly farming funds for Rome, and there were also toll collectors who gathered taxes and customs charges on things like trade for the local Judean government.

Levi would have been a toll collector working for Herod Antipas.^[7] To the Jews around him, that would’ve been a little less terrible than being one of the direct Roman tax collectors, but toll guys like him were still hated. More than hated, they were excommunicated from synagogues.^[8] They were not allowed to be witnesses in legal proceedings. They were viewed morally on the same level as thieves and robbers. Some rabbinical writings taught that if a tax collector entered a house everything in that house became unclean.^[9]

Jesus inviting this man to be a part of His group would not only have been a surprise, it would have been extremely hard for the faithful Jews already in the group to accept.

Fish was a commodity that Peter, Andrew, James, and John would’ve had to pay tolls on.^[10] They were almost undoubtedly familiar with Levi and how he had turned his back on God, turned his back on his countryman and community for money and position and power.

His very name highlights his treason. Levi. Not just a name, but a tribe. Not just a tribe, but the tribe meant to serve God’s people – to bring their offerings to the Lord and to minister to them. Instead, he extracted treasure from God’s people to present to the phony king, Herod.

He could not have been more culturally or religiously different. Yet Jesus’ words to him were exactly the same as the fishermen received. “Follow Me.” He treated Levi just like the others. “Wait, wait, wait, what about all he has done? Doesn’t he have farther to catch up than the rest of us?”

No. Because the call was the same: “Turn away from your old life in faith and repentance and bind yourself to Me, your Messiah.” Actually, you can make the case that Levi’s step of faith required a greater human sacrifice than the fishermen’s had. You see, once you left your post at the tax booth, you couldn’t go back.^[11] Whereas, after the crucifixion, what does Peter say? “I’m going fishing.”

But Levi immediately got up and starting walking with Jesus. Luke tells us that he left everything behind.^[12] No matter who or where you are, the call to follow Jesus is the same. And the choice to turn and walk with Him is the same distance – a step. A choice to believe and to obey and to trust.

We know Levi more commonly as Matthew, the writer of the first Gospel. The first two Gospels clearly present Levi and Matthew as the same person. What’s interesting is that in Mark he is identified as the “son of Alphaeus” and in Matthew, the other James is also called the son of Alphaeus. Were they brothers? The Bible never specifically says so, but it’s possible. Or, maybe their dads just had the same name.

Mark 2:15 – ¹⁵ While he was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who were following him.

I love this: Jesus tells him, “Follow Me…to your house!” These guys left a lot behind, but being a disciple didn’t mean they had to immediately torch all their belongings. Jesus wanted Levi to be a disciple in his home, to follow Jesus among his friends and colleagues and peers. Now, that group would eventually change – Levi would become part of a new family and new partners in a new purpose. But whatever stage of faith he was in, he could “follow Jesus.”

The Lord wants you to live out your discipleship where you are. Now, “where you are” will change over time, but today you are part of certain situations, certain social groups, certain endeavors. Be a disciple in the midst of those things. There may be groups you have to separate from, but generally, the Lord asks you to follow Him back home and to school tomorrow and to the workplace. To be His light and representative through your life and relationships.

Levi threw a “grand banquet.”^[13] It was a celebration feast, full of people. Four different groups are referenced by Mark: Tax collectors, sinners, disciples, and others who also followed Jesus.

Sinners here would refer to either people who, because of their jobs, could not stay ritually pure or people who regularly, purposefully refused to obey the Law.^[14] They were people who Pharisees saw as truly inferior – outcasts from true religion.^[15]

Attending this dinner would have been a big ask for those people who wanted to follow Jesus but also cared about the Law of Moses. Their tradition taught them that being at this feast would make them impure – ritually unclean – separated from God. But Jesus was redefining spirituality for them. They could go to this banquet full of bad people. They could mingle with them for a purpose.

But the Lord was also making it clear that following Him would often lead to some difficult, even uncomfortable situations. But truth and grace and compassion and heaven’s mission should trump our comfort in life. You see, Levi and these other individuals were becoming disciples. That word is used for the first time here and will be seen another 57 times in Mark.^[16] A disciple is a devoted learner. It doesn’t mean you’re an expert or that you never make mistakes. It means you are  dedicated to learning the way of Jesus, the plan of Jesus, the methods of Jesus and following after Him in those things. Jesus’ plan is that His disciples become ministers the way He was a minister.^[17] Despite the social discomfort of breaking bread with these traitors, they would have to learn to allow love and compassion to cut through the cultural boundaries, the personal hangups, the easy arrangements and be about the business of rescuing the lost.

That is still the calling for Christians today. Now, we’re not scandalized if an IRS agent comes to church. But sometimes Christians are bothered when certain other people come to church. The characters on that list are different at different times and different places. But we must welcome anyone in to hear the good news of the Gospel.

Mark 2:16 – ¹⁶ When the scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

The Pharisees were horrified that Jesus accepted a man like Levi and entertained his friends.^[18] How could someone Who claimed to speak for God be at a dinner like this? The house was wrong, the food was wrong, the guest list was wrong.^[19] There is outrage in their question.

If these people wanted to start having a spiritual life, according to the Pharisee perspective, they needed to first right their wrongs, clean up their lives, and make themselves worthy. The problem is: for tax collectors, repentance was essentially impossible according to the teachings of the time.^[20] And so, there was no reason to preach to them, no reason to reach out to them. God did not care about them. Write them off and leave them to their fate with no mercy or compassion.

This is what a Pharisaical heart always does. It condemns everyone else and elevates self. I find it interesting that the name “Pharisee” refers to the “separated ones.”^[21] They thought they had separated themselves out from the impure. Meanwhile, God introduced Himself as Emmanuel. God with us. A God Who chose to identify with humanity so that He could gather us to Himself. A God Whose love does the cleansing for us, gathering His people together for His glory.

Mark 2:17 – ¹⁷ When Jesus heard this, he told them, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

There are Christians who use Jesus’ willingness to dine with tax collectors and sinners as license to involve themselves in all sorts of questionable gatherings and activities. “Don’t you know that Jesus spent His time with gluttons and wine-bibbers?” And so that excuses some of their own indulgences. But Jesus was not there that day to just hang with these people. He was there to heal them. Doctors don’t go to ebola camps for fun or to look cool. They go to try to save lives.

Jesus saw these people as sick, dying, and in terrible spiritual condition. Elsewhere in the Gospels He speaks very seriously about the spiritual health of tax collectors and their need for salvation.

He says here that He came to that dinner to call them. Call them to what? Luke tells us: To repentance.^[22] To turn from their old way of life and to follow after Him no longer as tax collectors but now as disciples. To be saved from that life and put on a new path.

Jesus was there not for the filet, but because He was on a rescue mission. In fact, later, when the Pharisees again question why He’s willing to interact with tax collectors, Jesus tells the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin and the Lost Son. These people were not only sick, they were lost. And His mission was a search and rescue mission – intervening for them before it was too late.

But the scribes couldn’t see it because they were self-righteous. That’s what Jesus meant here – not that they were actually righteous. There’s a hint of sarcasm and condemnation. They were merciless and blind. While they accurately diagnosed the wicked tax collectors, they didn’t recognize the Messiah right in front of them. They simply could not accept that God might love sinners.^[23] But He does. He loves them so much He was willing to come looking for them, to give Himself for them.

That day in 2013 when Pauline almost choked to death, there was another doctor on scene: Her husband, Tom. Now Tom was a great doctor, involved in medical missions and lots of other good work. But it’s an interesting illustration. The doctor at her side couldn’t save her. A stranger came along and knew just what to do.

Some commentators suggest that Levi was throwing a farewell party. Maybe. More than saying goodbye he was welcoming Jesus into His life. Welcoming Him to be the gravitational center of his life. The focus of his life. For Jesus to be the host of his life. It was Levi’s house, but Who was hosting this shin-dig? Who was the Master of the feast?

For Levi, the call to follow was the same as Peter had received, but the implications were different for each person. Disciples like Peter or Simon the Zealot would have to put away their resentment and hatred for people like Levi. Levi would have to take on a spirituality he had long walked away from. All would have to choose Jesus over self, over tradition, over culture and join together in a life of devotion and learning as Jesus healed them along the way.

The call to follow Christ is a summons. A demand to discipleship – to be a devoted learner, dedicated to walking with the Lord wherever He leads. And one of the places He always leads is to others so that they, too, can hear the Good News. And, as we see here following Christ is not just about being saved from guilt, spared from hell, but it also means we allow Him to define spirituality and culture and conduct for us, even when it’s challenging, even when it’s uncomfortable, even when it means we will have to relate to people we wouldn’t normally relate to. But that’s what Christianity is about: The love of God, which is faithful and sacrificial and compassionate and true being shed abroad in our hearts, saving us from sin. Saved to serve. Saved to share the summons with all the other people God loves. Our families, our friends, our neighbors, and even those tax collectors we’d rather avoid. Learning as we go and loving as we go.

Raze The Roof (Mark 2:1-12)

What do you do when someone shows up claiming to be God? A fellow came here once and after we talked for awhile he let me know that he was both Elijah and Jesus Himself. I wasn’t too concerned – I was confident Jesus wouldn’t be actively smoking meth the way this guy was.

Recently, a church in Indiana was performing a baptism at one of their services and after being asked, “Have you played your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior,” the man in the water said, “I am Jesus Christ. I’m back, boys.” The stunned elder simply responded, “…What?” Then after a moment of thought very wisely said, “Well, we’re gonna pause right now and have a conversation with Jared a little bit more.”^[1]

There is a profound, stunned confusion at the end of our text tonight. In a dramatic scene packed full of supernatural power, Jesus demonstrates that He is not just a teacher, He’s not just a religious leader, in fact, He’s not just a man. At very least, He claims to be a spokesperson for God with the full authority of heaven, and at most, He claims to be God Himself. The crowd watching it all unfold are shocked. They don’t know what to think, but it’s clear that something supernatural is going on.

By the way – two little things I’d like us all to tuck away: First, you don’t have to worry about Jesus returning and us not realizing it. In Matthew 24, Jesus said lots of false messiahs will show up and claim to be Him, but when He really comes back, it will be like lightning flashing from east to west.^[2]

Second, be very careful when a pastor or a Bible teacher or a religious leader claims or suggests or implies that they are speaking “for” God – as if they have a direct line or connection that you do not have. Be careful. God’s Word speaks for God. God can speak through His messengers, but when someone presents themselves as authoritative on spiritual things, it is absolutely essential that we evaluate their message, their methods, and the fruit in their lives.

But here in Mark 2, Jesus makes a claim to authority that no one saw coming. As a result, they didn’t know what to do. Was Jesus a criminal worthy of death or was He…what was He?

We remember this story because of the inspiring story of the men who stop at nothing to help their paralyzed friend. It’s a great account. But this is not a story about healing. This is about Who Jesus is, how His work goes deeper than what we prioritize, and how our human understanding of the Messiah is often not quite right.

Mark 2:1 – When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home.

This may have been Peter’s home or Mary’s home. At the time, Capernaum was Jesus’ ministry headquarters. In chapter 1, He left to visit other towns throughout Galilee, but now He’s back in this little fishing village.

His willingness to return demonstrates His patience and His grace and His compassion. Capernaum was a place where people did not understand Him, did not believe His message, and, in some cases, would not obey Him. But Christ is a long-suffering Savior.

Mark 2:2 – ² So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them.

Sometimes thousands of people surrounded Jesus. With that said, the population of Capernaum at the time was around 1,500 people.^[3] It wouldn’t take much to fill up the space of this house. The largest excavated homes in that area are like 18 feet wide.^[4] Still, there were a lot of people.

For once, Jesus was able to do what He wanted to do: Teach the Word. No long line of people needing healing, just a crowd hearing the preaching of the Gospel. The Lord must’ve been excited.

Mark 2:3-4 – ³ They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

The digging through the roof is one of the most theatrical moments in all the Gospels. What must it have been like? How long did it take? Were people frightened or laughing or upset?

It was probably not as difficult to make this hole as we might imagine.^[5] The roofs had wood beams covered with thatch and compacted mud. Sometimes they had some tiles, but not always.^[6] “One authority states that the roof could easily be broken up…and easily repaired, and that it was often done for the purpose of letting down [things like] grain [or] straw. Writing in the mid-1800s, [he said]: ‘I have often seen it done, and done it myself to houses in Lebanon, but there is always more dust made than is agreeable.’”^[7]

On the other hand, we shouldn’t have a topical, palm frond covering in mind. The roofs of these houses weren’t just to cover. They did stuff up there. There would be an external staircase or ladder and the roof would be used for work or drying laundry, prayer, or even sleeping.^[8] In Acts chapter 10 we see Peter hanging out on a roof like this, praying.^[9]

They wouldn’t have needed to jackhammer, but that doesn’t mean this happened quickly. And there would have been a tremendous amount of dust and debris falling on the crowd below, including Jesus.^[10] This is not a high-ceilinged home.

For their part, the four friends show a wonderful, active love and compassion. It’s not easy to carry this kind of dead weight across town, let alone up a staircase or maybe a ladder! Then to keep pushing past obstacles, even the physical impediment of a roof. These guys are great examples of love in action. When Paul tells us to “carry one another’s burdens” in Galatians 6, we would do well to consider this illustration of a faith that can be seen.

Mark 2:5 – ⁵ Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Let’s imagine the strangeness and the realness of this scene. The house is absolutely full – standing room only. For a significant amount of time, some dudes have been digging through the roof. Undoubtedly people had shouted things at them. Finally, this frail body is awkwardly lowered down. I’m guessing there was a close call or two where they almost dropped the guy.

Jesus finally gets to teach the people of Capernaum but He’s interrupted yet again. He’s got dust and mud chunks in His hair and beard. Everything is bedlam. But in that moment, the Lord is not annoyed, He doesn’t rebuke anyone or storm off saying, “I can’t work like this.” Instead He fixes His attention on this helpless man and uses a term of endearment, calling him “Son.”^[11]

And then He says something amazing: Your sins are forgiven! They’re dismissed. Gone away. Left behind.^[12] Immediately and freely. This forgiveness required no sacrifice or ritual. He didn’t have to wait for the Day of Atonement. He didn’t have to bring a lamb. He had been pardoned.

That’s the difference Jesus makes. He pardons our sin. Pardons are in the news a lot these days. People get very upset and say, “That person is guilty, they shouldn’t be let off the hook.” But that’s what a pardon is! We are guilty. Guilty of a lifetime of sin against our Holy Creator. And He offers us a full pardon, not based on what we do, but based on what He has done, by His love and grace.

To the people in the audience, free forgiveness was totally outside how they understood a relationship with God.^[13] Jesus’ statement would’ve been absolutely shocking.

But of course, the paralytic and his friends didn’t bring him that day with the goal of having his sins forgiven. They came to have his body healed. But the Messiah, Who loves best knew that forgiveness was the most important issue. That was what this man needed. Of course, Jesus never turned away someone who asked for healing in the Gospels. He knew He was going to also physically heal this man, but He wanted to take this opportunity to teach the people and some special guests in the audience and us about what is more important.

Mark 2:6-7 – ⁶ But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: ⁷ “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

The story changes focus to this group of scribes. Actually, Luke lets us know that this was not only a group of Pharisees and scribes, but that they had come from “every village of Galilee and Judea, and also from Jerusalem” to scrutinize this Jesus people were talking about.^[14]

Already they are in sharp contrast to the faith-filled friends of the paralytic. They are shown sitting. Not only are they not helping others get to Jesus, they’re taking up extra space in this standing-room only meeting. They refused to make way for those in need. And rather than faith or humility, their hearts are full of criticism and dismissal at the words of Jesus.

This story is the first of five in a row that involve conflict between Jesus and the Jews. More and more they did not like what He said or did and their opposition against Him became more formal and more sinister.

Blasphemy was a capital offense in Judaism. So, why didn’t they pick up stones in this scene? They were totally confused about what was happening. Some linguists think they were asking themselves, “Wait, is He blaspheming?”^[15] You see, blasphemy laws were very specific. And Jesus hadn’t used the Divine Name. He was somewhat vague in what He said. At very least He was claiming to speak for God or to know what God had and hadn’t done. And that was very close to the line, if not over it in their minds.

Because, they were right: Only God can forgive sin. You can’t buy it, you can’t merit it, you can’t borrow it or steal it. Only God Himself can pardon you for your sin. At the time, the Jews did not believe even the Messiah could forgive sins.^[16]

Mark 2:8 – ⁸ Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

Jesus is omniscient. He knows everything. He knew everything about the physical malady of the crippled man and knew everything about his past and knew everything going on in the hearts of the scribes. He knows everything going on in your heart and life, too.

Often the Lord will ask people questions like this. It’s not because He doesn’t know. He asks for our benefit. He asks so that, perhaps, we will realize we’ve been missing something.

Where are you, Adam and Eve? Sarah, why did you laugh? What are you doing here, Elijah? Where were you when I established the earth, Job? Hagar, where have you come from and where are you going? Do you have any right to be angry, Jonah? Why are you crying, Mary? Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? These are questions meant to lead people to deep truth and restoration.

Why were they thinking these things in their hearts? Because their hearts were closed to the idea of a Suffering Savior Who forgives freely out of His mercy and grace.

Mark 2:9 – ⁹ Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’?

It’s easier to say “your sins are forgiven,” because there’s no way to prove or disprove whether it happened. If you say to a paralytic, “Get up and walk,” your legitimacy is immediately audited.

Mark 2:10-11 – ¹⁰ But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic—¹¹ “I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.”

Normally Jesus was very upset when people said, “Show us a sign to prove why we should believe you.” No one asked for a sign here, but Jesus says “I’m gonna give you one.” He was proving He was the real deal. He wasn’t unsure about His mission or Who He was. He has made it abundantly clear that He is the Christ.

But He doesn’t use the title “Christ,” or “Anointed One” in this scene. He uses a different name: Son of Man. This was Jesus’ favorite self-designation in the Gospels.^[17] It’s used 14 times in Mark.

This title comes from Daniel, chapter 7. There we read:

Daniel 7:13-14 – ¹³ I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. ¹⁴ He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

This title was not one the Jews commonly used for the Messiah. They would more often use titles like, “Son of David,” which were culturally wrapped up in a nationalistic or militaristic context.^[18] But Jesus did not let culture define Who He is or what He does. He doesn’t conform to our ideas.

This title should make a listener go back and say, “What does that name mean?” Well, He is the One Who comes with clouds – that’s God. He is the One Who will rule and reign forever – that’s the Messiah. He is Human and Divine. Not only is He allowed to speak for God, He is God, and He is in charge, with all authority, all dominion, all glory, and all power.

Mark 2:12 – ¹² Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Luke tells us the man not only got up and left, but he went out glorifying God.^[19] Jesus, still will dust in His hair, probably got to work fixing the roof. Do you think He told the other guys, “Hey, fix that?”

The people didn’t know what to think. Mark uses a very strong verb – that people were beside themselves.^[20] They didn’t know what to think about Jesus, even after what He just said and did!

So, Who is He? He’s the King of kings. He’s the Savior. He’s the Lord of all, including our lives. He’s the GodMan Who has commanded us just as He commanded this previously crippled man.

So, what has the Lord commanded you to do? Notice, that no matter what Jesus asks of us, we can do – even the impossible things. Jesus told the paralytic to do something that was impossible. But God enables us to do anything He commands us to do. Anything. And as we obey Him and walk in His new life, we get to go wherever He sends us glorifying God and enjoying the new creation He’s made us to be. Living out a living faith in front of everyone.

Your Will Is My Command (Mark 1:39-45)

In 1904, Russia was at war with Japan. That October, Russia’s Baltic Fleet set sail for the far east. The warships didn’t even make it out of European waters before making a terrible mistake. In the distance, they sighted what they thought were Japanese torpedo boats. They were, in fact, simply British fishermen who had no way to escape an attack or defend themselves.

The Russians ignored proper naval identification procedures and opened fire. Then, in the confusion and chaos, they also started firing on themselves. The only thing that kept this from becoming a major bloodbath was that the Russian sailers were so inept, they could barely hit a target. One of the battleships fired more than 500 shells without hitting anything.

In the end, three British sailors were killed, six others wounded, and on the Russian side, one sailor and a chaplain were killed, with damage to multiple ships.^[1]

This terrible error led to the weakening of the Baltic Fleet and the delay of their mission. It also very nearly sparked a separate war with England. All because, in their haste, they would not follow the procedure they had been given. In the moment, they were convinced they knew what to do.

Many of us aren’t that worried about “instructions,” are we? I can assemble that bookcase. I can get this piece of tech up and running. I can find my way from here to there. How hard can it be?

When we bring that self-reliant, I-can-do-it-my-own-way attitude into our walk with the Lord, we are most definitely going to cause problems for ourselves and for others and for the work of God.

That’s exactly what we see in tonight’s text. Here we’re witness to an amazing miracle – the healing of a leper. Our hearts are stirred by his boldness and his faith. We are captivated by the powerful, personal compassion of Jesus. But then, as the story ends, we are shocked at the disobedience, not only because of how brazen it is, but at how detrimental it is to Jesus’ work and purposes.

Mark 1:39 – ³⁹ He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

In the very last verse, Jesus specifically said that this is why He had come – to preach the Good News of salvation not just in one place, but all over the region. His primary goal was not to heal people physically. He did a lot of that, but that wasn’t why He came. His aim was to set people free with the truth of His word and to prepare them for the future Kingdom, which was at hand.

Mark 1:40 – ⁴⁰ Then a man with leprosy came to him and, on his knees, begged him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

When we read about leprosy in the Bible, we think immediately of what we call Hansen’s disease today, but it refers to a variety of skin diseases. At the time, leprosy was one of the most dreaded afflictions.^[2] It was essentially incurable. And not only was this a terrible physical plague, most of you also know that it was just as lethal to the social and religious aspects of a Jewish life.

A leper could not worship in the temple. They could not live among the “clean” members of society. They would be outcast, isolated, desperate, living out a prolonged and agonizing death.

As word of Jesus spread, this leper heard whispers and tales of what this Nazarene might be able to do. To him it was more than gossip, it was hope. Certainly this Man Who commanded demons and drove out fevers and healed all manner of sicknesses and sufferings could also help a leper.

We should be inspired by his faith here in verse 40. It is brave. It is humble. It is sincere. It is bold. He broke with convention and came to find Jesus. Lepers like this weren’t supposed to mix with healthy people. Rather, they were to go about wearing torn clothes and letting their hair hang loose as they shouted out, “Unclean! Unclean!” to people passing by.^[3]

But he found Jesus and dropped to his knees. He believed Jesus could heal him. The question was whether Jesus would or not. That’s not a question of ability, it’s one of empathy. One commentary put it this way: “It is sometimes easier to believe in God’s power than in His mercy.”^[4]

We still struggle with this question. We know God is merciful, but sometimes doubt creeps in. Does God actually care enough about me to help? Is He concerned with my life?^[5] Do I matter to Him?

You do matter. You are one of His beloved. You are a special, chosen object of His unending, unyielding, hands-on love. His eyes are on you. His affection is toward you. You are not abandoned.

The leper asked the Lord to make him clean. It didn’t just mean fix his skin problem. In this case, it meant to make him physically clean, ceremonially clean, and socially clean. A comprehensive purification that would impact every aspect of his life. Not just a treatment, but total transformation.

That is what God wants to do for us, by the way. Not just fix one problem or two in our lives – not just solve the heaven/hell problem – but to transform our entire existence for this life and the next.

Mark 1:41 – ⁴¹ Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. “I am willing,” he told him. “Be made clean.”

The question was, “Are You willing?” And Jesus’ answer was, “Yes, I am willing.” To us, what we’re “willing” to do is usually something we’d rather not do, but we compromise and go ahead. But that is not what Jesus was saying. The word He used is defined in Bible dictionaries as something someone desires, something they take pleasure in, their will for a situation.^[6]

Christ wanted to heal him. It was His Divine will that it happen. That willingness flowed from Christ’s compassion – a powerful outworking of His lovingkindness. Now, if you’re reading the NIV, your text probably says that Christ was “indignant” in this moment. There are a few manuscripts that use that term and linguists spend a lot of ink arguing over it, but the vast majority of copies speak of Christ’s compassion.^[7] And even if Christ felt righteous anger at the effects of sin in this situation, clearly His compassion is still on display as He reaches out to touch this diseased, repulsive specimen.

Notice the personal nature of Christ’s willingness in this situation. He was “moved with compassion” not to delegate, not to grandstand, not to paper over the problem, but to reach out Himself – to do the unthinkable: Touch a leper! This was an absolutely unheard of act of sympathy and grace.^[8]

Did touching a leper make Jesus unclean? Nothing can defile the Messiah. He takes our sin and bears it away. We do not defile Him, He delivers us.

Mark 1:42 – ⁴² Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

All the way. His body was healed. His future restored. Now he had hope. He could go back to family and friends. He could return to the family of faith, bringing offerings to the Lord in His house.

Bible teachers are quick to point out that leprosy is a good illustration of sin in the Bible. Sin defiles us, slowly destroys us, isolates us, separates us from fellowship with God and others. It numbs us and shames us, but we’re powerless to overcome it. God must intervene and He has. Just as Christ cleansed this man from his leprosy, He cleanses Christians from their sin.

Titus 2:14 – ¹⁴ He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.

We are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb – redeemed from an empty and hopeless way of life to enjoy grace and power and the presence of God day by day so that we can serve Him.

If you’re a Christian here tonight, your cleansing was accomplished by Jesus, but now you participate in the ongoing cleansing of sanctification. The Lord continues to do His work in us – He continues to wash us and purify us and make us whole. We participate by submitting to the washing of the word. 1 John tell us we participate in the cleansing process as we confess our sin. Paul explains in 2 Corinthians that we cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and the spirit in the fear of God.^[9] The cleansing continues as God’s work in us continues.

Mark’s wording suggests that the people watching this healing could actually see his symptoms vanish.^[10] Hopefully we can look at our lives and see the symptoms of sin dropping away from us, as well. Maybe not as dramatically or immediately as this man experienced, but growing in holiness, growing in Godliness, becoming more and more Christlike is the work Jesus wills to do in us.

But what else did Christ will?

Mark 1:43-44 – ⁴³ Then he sternly warned him and sent him away at once, ⁴⁴ telling him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

This was a very clear directive. Jesus gave him a four-part assignment: Say nothing to anyone, go, show, offer the prescribed sacrifices for this very situation.

Why? Because this had maybe never happened in all the centuries of Israel’s history! Perhaps this happened in Miriam’s case, but it’s not very clear. What an opportunity! What a unique chance.

Jesus asked this man to do this so that he could be a living testimony for the priests. He wanted him to be a martyrion to them – proof that God was doing a new thing, that the Messiah was here.

Jesus also wanted to demonstrate that He was not against the Law. When interpretations and regulations concerning the Law conflicted with the Law of Love, Christ always sided with love. But He was not anti-Law. Here He said, “You’re healed, but you need to go do the ceremonial stuff in order to be fully restored to Jewish life and worship.”

And the Lord was really serious about it. That word, “sternly” is a term that refers to the snorting of a horse.^[11] Part of why He was so serious was because He did not want to bring the pandemonium of endless crowds if they heard Jesus was there to do miracles. Miracles were not what He wanted people to focus on. But, let’s be real: Would you rather hear a sermon or be able to have your diseased family member healed? Our desires and the Lord’s desires often don’t run parallel.

Mark 1:45 – ⁴⁵ Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But he was out in deserted places, and they came to him from everywhere.

The man did the opposite of everything Jesus commanded him. He didn’t go to the priest, he didn’t bring his offering, he didn’t keep his mouth shut. No, he decided that instead of being a martyr, he was going to be a preacher. He went out proclaiming, which is the same word used of what Jesus had been doing at the start of this passage. But he had his own message and his own method and his own priorities that mattered to him.

We sense that he thought he was really helping out Jesus – that he was this great missionary, spreading what people needed to hear. One source says he was going out, “blazing abroad” with his message.^[12] But what was the result? What did his choice to go his own way lead to?

At the beginning of the passage, we see Jesus going in to the towns of Galilee to proclaim eternal life them. Now, after this man does his thing, Jesus is seen being driven out of the towns, pushed out into deserted places. The opposite of what Jesus wanted.

It’s so astonishing that a few verses ago the man was so concerned with what Jesus’ will was. “If it’s Your will.” And now, he had no concern at all about the will of Jesus. The Lord specifically and directly revealed His will to this man, and off he went to do what he thought was best.

This isn’t a problem unique to this man. We read of Moses and how he struck the rock. Hezekiah thought it would be a great idea to show the Babylonian envoys all his treasures. But what was the Lord’s will in those situations?

We suffer from this same affliction. We recognize that we’re helpless without God’s intervention in our lives. But so often we’re then tempted to go our own way. After all, who could know better about how I should do things than me? Well, ask the seven churches Jesus wrote to in the Revelation. How many of them had wandered off onto some path of their own design, just like this healed leper. And when we do that, it does not honor the Lord, it does not benefit us or others. In fact, it clearly delays the progress of God’s will in our lives and our communities! Jesus would say it plainly to Peter: “You are a hindrance to me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”^[13] And when we do that we are not helping God, we’re helping the Devil!

But even in this moment of failure, look at the shining grace of Jesus. He, of course, knew that the leper would disobey. It was no surprise to the Lord. He knew that this act of supernatural compassion would result in His having to go out to the deserted places – to be delayed in the mission He was so focused on. And yet Jesus healed the man anyway.

The aftermath was an stunning irony: A leper was doomed to slowly die out in deserted places, apart from friends and family, apart from fellowship with the Lord. But the Lord took that on Himself so this man could be made whole.^[14] Jesus took this exile on Himself willingly. Just as He was willing to bear your sins and my sins as He carried the cross to Calvary. To be tortured and killed so that we could live. He was willing. Because of His compassion. Because of His grace. Because of the love that He has for us. He was willing. And despite our failure, He still has a love and gracious will for us.

So what is God’s will for your life? We don’t want to be off on some trail that hinders God’s work in and through us. His will is what matters. Not what I want or what I think is best but His will. Do you know what God’s will is for your life generally? What about specifically? In each example of Scripture, we don’t see God saying to Christians, “Just do whatever and I’ll catch up with you later.” We see that He has specific plans, specific callings, a life of faith tailored for you. Our job as Christians is not to do what we think is best, not to be self-reliant, but to be Spirit-reliant. Transformed by the cleansing power of God so that we can discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.