Lepers -- All of Us.

So I was reading the Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards (which is well worth your time to read and can be found here: http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-resolutions-of-jonathan-edwards)

Here's the one that grabbed me today:

69. Resolved, always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. Aug. 11, 1723.

Immediately I was stirred that I often read the writings of others and wonder if I should try to write as well. I confess that I feel intimidated that I don't really have anything of real value to say. I'm pretty convinced that my best thoughts are those that I glean from other people, and I don't consider myself the most creative individual. An insecurity of what people might think about me and my less than perfectly formed thoughts has stopped me from writing publicly since 2009.

Emboldened by Jonathan Edwards' admonition, I'm giving it a shot today. 

Read Mark 1:40-41. Slowly. Don't move too fast. Here it is:

And a leper came to him, imploring [Jesus], and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean."

How marvelous is that?! And isn't this an amazing picture of how it is for everyman and everywoman who would approach Jesus? Notice the richness of the text.

The leper came imploring. The man clearly understood who he was - an outcast of society and he had no right to even be near Jesus (let alone ask Jesus for a favor). His posture is one of imploring (notice he kneels as he speaks) Jesus for help. We are lepers - spiritual outcasts who have no right to be near God on our own merit, so we come in humility pleading for His intervention. 

The leper had faith. "If you will, you can make me clean." What a great statement of faith. He was absolutely confident that Jesus had the power to heal - if only He would graciously condescend to heal this undeserving leper. We must approach Jesus with the faith that He really can restore us from the spiritual leprosy that plagues us.

Jesus was moved with pity. I love the emotion that Jesus shows here, but I couldn't help but think about the many times when I've heard a person say, "I don't want your pity." There is still pride in that sentence, but the leper was unfazed by the pity of Jesus. In fact, the pity of Jesus was exactly what he desired, and then Jesus went a step farther.

Jesus touched the leper. It's one thing for Jesus to pity this man but another entirely for him to actually touch the leper. This ceremonially unclean leper, if touched, would spread his uncleanness to the unfortunate person who touched him (intentionally or not). Jesus will be unclean by touching the leper! And yet, in a stunning twist, Jesus isn't corrupted. His holiness and purity overcomes the man's disease.

I will; be clean. Those are the wonderfully sweet words to a heart imploring Jesus in humility to bring healing. Those are the same words Jesus offers to any sinner who would recognize her or his sin problem. 

Naturally, we are all lepers. Spiritually unclean whose only hope is to implore Jesus, in humility, to heal us of a disease from which we can't rid ourselves. Jesus sees that heart and, moved with pity, touches us in our sinfulness and consents to cleanse us. 

And He did so at the greatest cost to Himself - His own death on a cross.

That's worth marveling at today.