Mark 1:40-45 A Leper Healed
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: January 1, 2018 Mark 1:40-45
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Then a leper came to Jesus and began pleading with him. He fell on his knees and told him, “If you want to, you can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand, touched him, and told him, “I do want to. Be made clean!” Instantly the leprosy left him, and he was clean. Then Jesus sternly warned him and encouraged him to go at once, saying to him, “Be sure that you don’t tell anyone. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest, and then offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded as proof to the authorities.” But when the man left, he began to proclaim it freely. He spread the news so widely that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly, but had to stay out in deserted places. Still, people kept coming to him from everywhere.
(Understanding the Passage) Jesus has been healing people and casting out demons, so the leper had hope. He approached Jesus even though he was supposed to keep his distance. Sometimes I think of lepers as skunks. You might want to shoo them away, but you are very careful about how you approach them. In some ways, there was a certain power in being a leper. If you decided you wanted to clear an area, all you would have to do is walk into it, and everyone would leave. Thus, even though the disciples probably wanted to protect Jesus from the leper’s approach, they couldn’t because of their cultural conditioning. The leper did not touch Jesus. The leper was bold, but not that bold. He fell on his knees in front of Jesus and told Jesus that if He chose to, He could make the leper clean.
(Revelation of God) Jesus’ compassion is not just for the healing, but also for the touching. Sometimes I have wondered at the differences in the way that Jesus performed miracles, but I am beginning to understand. For example, the healing of the blind man who Jesus healed with clay may have taken place while Jesus and His disciples were sort of sneaking out of the temple. Even if not then, it was after the Jews had tried to stone Jesus, so He may have been laying low while things cooled down. If Jesus knew that the man would cause a scene, the clay and washing command make sense as a delaying tactic. I may be wrong about the motivation, but I am sure that I am not wrong that there was a reason for the mud and washing after Jesus had left. Anyway, with the leper, I believe that Jesus touched him, not for the physical healing, but for the spiritual healing. This man may not have been touched by another human being for a long time. His biggest need at that moment might have been for physical contact with someone.
(Revelation of God) I think it is a significant example that Jesus touched him while he was still a leper. Jesus is not contaminated by our disease and sin, instead He purifies anyone He touches.
(Understanding the Passage) After the leper was healed, Jesus told him not to tell anyone. Jesus knew that too large a crowd would dilute His message. The message was of eternal importance whereas healings were temporary fixes that would only extend a life that was destined for death. If the leper told of the healing, even more people would crowd around who were only interested in seeing or receiving a miracle, not in the messages from the Father that Jesus had come to deliver. Sometimes, we think that more is better, not realizing that quality of interaction is just as important as quantity.
Because the leper disobeyed Him, Jesus could no longer freely perform His ministry, but had to avoid towns because of the crowds of people and the disruption to the town. He had to be careful not to call the wrath of the priests upon Himself too soon. There was also the problem of staying away from the attention of the Romans who might view crowds in a town as revolution. He had to be able to manage the situation. However, even avoiding towns did not stop crowds of people from coming out to Him. On the other hand, if they made the effort to find Him, they were not mere bystanders. They were drawn to Him in some way. By staying out of towns, He made it possible for people from other places to approach Him where in the towns, it would be too crowded for people outside the town. He also avoided people being injured from the crowding.
(Application) When Jesus tells us to do something, sometimes it does not make sense to us, but there is always a reason. Sometimes, it is a reason for our own good; other times it is for the benefit of another person; still other times it is because of God’s plans and the need for events to occur in a specific way or time to carry out those plans. In any case, my job is to follow where the Spirit directs me in the manner He directs me whether I understand or not. My job is to learn to listen to the Spirit so that Jesus can direct me where He wants me to go and show me how I am supposed to follow His directions. Right now, He has a limited communication with me because I don’t listen well. I need to take time in prayer to listen, and I need to meditate more on Jesus’ life.
(Prayer) Help me to hear and obey when You are speaking to me. Teach me how to follow Your directions and don’t let my mistakes and choices interfere in the message that You want to communicate through me to others. Thank You that You let me be part of Your great work. Bless even my mess-ups so that they work for Your glory.