Sermon Talkback—February 15, 2009
2 Kings 5:1-14; Mark 1:40-45
Jesus Multitasking
After Jesus’ baptism and temptation in the wilderness, we see three major, interconnected, aspects of Jesus’ ministry: preaching and teaching (1:14-15, 21-22, 27, 39), exorcisms (1:23-26, 32, 34, 39), and healing (1:29-34, 40-45). These aspects of Jesus’ activity are interconnected because they are often mentioned in pairs, overlapping with one another, in these passages. Mark 1:40-45 combines the emphasis on healing with preaching or proclamation. This passage focuses on Jesus’ ability to accomplish various deeds.
Cleansing and Healing
The distinction between cleansing and healing is significant, particularly based on where the passage concludes, appealing to “what Moses commanded” (1:44). Since the issue is “cleansing,” it must relate to regulations concerning purity, found in Leviticus 13-14 (for leprosy, in particular—Lepers were required to wear torn clothes, keep their hair unkempt, cry out “unclean, unclean” wherever they went, and live outside of the community (Lev. 13:45-46)). While “leprosy” is a term that could relate to a variety of skin diseases in the ancient world, scriptural texts generally agree that there is no cure for it, except God’s healing (2 Kings 5:7). The leper’s interaction with others would have been severely restricted because of the contagious nature of the disease, and its impurity. Thus, the leper seeks cleansing, not just healing, so that he may enter into public society again.
Jesus’ Ability
Discussions of what Jesus is able or unable to do dominate the gospel of Mark—The leper asks, “If you choose, you can make me clean” (40), puts the focus both on Jesus’ choice and on his ability to cleanse the man. While he may be able to heal the leper, due to the leper’s proclamation, he becomes unable to travel “openly.” While he instructed the man to “say nothing to anyone,” the leper went out and began proclaiming it freely. Other situations include: The healing of the paralytic at Capernaum (2:1-10) is about Jesus’ ability compared to God’s: Who is able to forgive sins? Sometimes people’s lack of faith prevents Jesus from fully acting in his ministry, as in his hometown of Nazareth (6:5).
Jesus’ Emotions
Rarely do the gospel writers give their audiences insights into Jesus’ emotions. Immediately, after the leper begs Jesus to heal him, Marks tells us that Jesus was “moved with pity” or “compassion.” This particular Greek word refers to being moved in the seat of one’s emotions: one’s intestines, or as we might say, one’s “guts.” Our modern equivalent of this expression would locate the seat of one’s emotions most often in the heart. (See note in NRSV—“anger.”
Summary
Mark 1 concludes with a detailed “cleansing” story which narrates Jesus’ ability to perform various aspects of his ministry and how this ability is related to those with whom he interacts. The story moves to a dramatic climax through Mark’s descriptions of Jesus’ emotional reactions to this leper, as the man evokes pity and warnings. Finally, while the healed leper breaks the secrecy Jesus desired, the “word” still spreads throughout Galilee (1:39) and elsewhere, currently inhibiting Jesus’ movements, but culminating in the gospel that will one day be proclaimed to all nations (13:10; 10:9).
Question to Ponder
What in your life would you like healing from God?