A moment of introspect
The scriptural background for this lesson is Mark 1:40 & 41. In this lesson Jesus heals a leper. The leper comes to Jesus and says, “if you want to, you can make me clean.” Jesus is moved with compassion and heals the man. But what is leprosy and why would the leper say what he said? Leprosy is incurable and will physically deform you. It is the only disease that, if caught, a priest can put you out of the camp. Once put out of the camp you are only allowed contact with other lepers. If you see someone approaching you, then you must warn them that you have leprosy by saying unclean. A leper can not even hug his mother. This leper sees Jesus and wants his life to improve. But at this point he has a moment of introspect. He realizes he has lived a miserable, selfish, trifling existence. The motivation for his actions are to gain pleasure or avoid pain. He knows he does not deserve the healing but needs to be healed. All he can say is, “if you want to, you can make me clean.” Jesus can read minds and knows what the man is going through. None of us deserve anything from God. Salvation is a gift. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life.
For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces". Zechariah 11:16. God can heal, but he has not come to heal. Healing comes from a belief in the only true, living God. "Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed". Isaiah 6:10.
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