Why do you suppose he said that?
In the last entry we covered Matt’s account of the healing but this time we’re going to cover Mark’s account.
Mark 1:40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." 41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. 43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." 45 Instead he went out 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. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
Mark 1:40-42 covers the healing but in verses 43 Jesus gives a “strong warning” to the leper not tell anyone else of the healing but to go to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for his cleansing. The Amplified Bible translated verse 43 this way: “And Jesus charged him sternly (sharply and threateningly, and with earnest admonition) and [acting with deep feeling thrust him forth and] sent him away at once.” There is no need to break down vrs 43 in the Greek; the Amplified amped it up enough. But why did Jesus do this - why this stern of a warning? It’s not like Jesus cared about traditions. Just a few verses before we see him ignoring the “No touching dirty stuff” rule found in Numbers 19:22. So why was he so emphatic about this guy followings Moses’ law now? By the way, that part of Moses’ law that deals with Leprosy cleansing is found in Lev 14:2-6, I’ll post those scripts at the end of this entry. We can see in Mark 1:45 that the guy ignored Jesus’ command and “went out 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. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.” So by the blabbing mouth Jesus was uncomfortable, but still I don’t think that was the bottom line reason why Jesus was so strict about the guy going to the priest. Besides, Jesus didn’t care so much his own comfort; if He did then the cross would not have happened. Hebrews 12:2 says “for the joy set before him he endured the cross.” I think we can find the answer in what Jesus said at the end of Mark 1:44. Here is all of Mark 1:44 “"See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." Who are “them” that the testimony was to be told to? “Them” would have been the priest and those at the temple. Here is what I think is the reason Jesus wanted this guy to go show the priest the healing/cleansing. Jesus was extending an “olive branch” out to the priest and those on the religious side. He was trying to squash the jealousy that would/did rise up in those on the religious side. They (the religious) didn’t start to really challenge Jesus till after this leper was healed. As a matter of fact, the next healing Luke records in 5:21 “The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, ‘Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’" We could only imagine things would have been different if the leper actually followed Jesus’ instructions. Maybe they, the religious, would have followed Jesus as disciples and not as accusers. Maybe the Priest would have helped usher in the “Kingdom of God” and on the day of Pentecost the number could have been around 30,000 and not just the 3,000. None the less, that didn’t happen; the man ran his mouth to the wrong people. I can’t really blame him; I might have done the same thing if I was in his position. But no matter what God’s ultimate will was still done; despite man trying his best to mess things up God’s ultimate will is always done. Even in my own life, when I run my mouth at the wrong time to the wrong people God some how still gets His will done. How about in your life?
Stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice
jimmy
Leviticus 14:2 "These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest: 3 The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease, 4 the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. 5 Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. 6 He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.”
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