Jesus healed a leper who had come to him and was "begging on his knees." "If you are willing..." the man said, and Jesus "filled with compassion" TOUCHED him and made him clean.
Jesus TOUCHED a leper! In those days, that was absolutely not the right thing to do. Lepers were to stay away from people and were considered an outcast in the community. Touching them was even worse! Jesus "filled with compassion," touched the guy. That's compassion in action, that's LOVE!
How many times do we see the outcast people of our community who need love--who need to be touched? People need to be connected, they want to be heard, they want to be accepted, they want to be...TOUCHED.
As soon as this man was healed, Jesus told him not to say anything, but to go to the priest and follow what Moses commanded. Instead, the man went and "began to talk freely, spreading the news." As a result, "Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places."
This, to me, is the most ironic thing I've seen in Mark so far. Jesus touched and healed the leper--an outcast who could not enter town. As a result of the leper not following Jesus' instructions, Jesus became the outcast who could not enter town!
Some questions come to my mind...
Do I need to be TOUCHED?
Who around me needs to be TOUCHED?
What is my testimony of Jesus; do I follow his directions and obey what he tells me?
What kind of "place" does Jesus have in my "town"?
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