If You Will (Mark 1:40)

 


Tuesday, 25 November, 2025


Psalms 62; 63

2 Kings 23:16-30

Mark 1:40-45


Observances: Ember Day; James Noble, pioneer Aboriginal deacon (d. 1941)


If You Will (Mark 1:40)


And a leper came to [Jesus], imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.”


Here in our second lesson we read the first of many instances of what some call the “Messianic Secret”. Jesus, upon healing the leper, sternly tells him not to tell anyone. What a conundrum for theologians with too much spare time on their hands to think about!


Context (as always) helps us here. Instead of going around and making a big deal of it, Jesus wanted rather this man follow religious protocol: to show himself to the priest, be approved as cleansed, and worship God in an unrestricted way.


This seems more like what Jesus wants: for every human being to approach God in free and full confidence. Just as John the Baptist pointed to Christ, Christ points us to the Father. Jesus does this in various ways: physical healing, yes, but also in clearing our conscience through the forgiveness of sins. And it is this second one which is perhaps far more difficult, and far more glorious that Jesus has done it.


How confident are you in approaching your heavenly Father? What can Jesus do for you to increase your confidence?


Jesus, we kneel before you and implore you to make us clean, knowing it is your good will to do so: give us thankful hearts, confident in our free access to our loving Father through you.

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