The Heart of Jesus
Posted on in Sermons by The Rev. David Marshall
Jesus heals the leper with a touch.
Mark 1:40-45
The Gospel of Mark is a precious jewel: small, complex, beautiful, and when examined closely, surprising in its complexity. In this week’s short passage we hear the story of Jesus healing a leper and then telling him not to reveal who healed him. These six verses seem to hide more than they reveal. Why would Jesus tell the man to go to the Priests when he was already healed/clean? Why would Jesus tell the man not to reveal that Jesus healed him? And yet, for all the mystery of this passage, the words also reveal some beautiful facets of Jesus’ heart.
Even though Mark is the shortest of the Gospels, I find it to be profoundly revealing of Jesus and his ministry. This sermon offers a lens, a method of reading the text, that can begin to reveal more of who Jesus is and what we can count on Jesus for. This work, the work of discovering who Jesus is and what he means to us, is the foundational work to deepen our faith by building our trust and faith in Jesus.
