Happy Sunday!
Bishop Alexis A. Thomas was traveling this week. Minister Darrell Phoenix preached, "Breaking Out The Box", but used Mark 1:40-41 as his reference scripture.
Mark 1:40-45 says, "A leper came to him, begging on his knees, “If you want to, you can cleanse me. Deeply moved, Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy. Jesus dismissed him with strict orders: “Say nothing to anyone. Take the offering for cleansing that Moses prescribed and present yourself to the priest. This will validate your healing to the people.” But as soon as the man was out of earshot, he told everyone he met what had happened, spreading the news all over town. So Jesus kept to out-of-the-way places, no longer able to move freely in and out of the city. But people found him, and came from all over". (Message Translation)
There is so much action in this one passage of scripture! First is says, "a leper" came to Jesus. If you know anything about the Bible you remember that there were specific rules about leprosy written in Leviticus. Leviticus 13:1-3 says, "God spoke to Moses and Aaron: “When someone has a swelling or a blister or a shiny spot on the skin that might signal a serious skin disease on the body, bring him to Aaron the priest or to one of his priest sons. The priest will examine the sore on the skin. If the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears more than skin deep, it is a serious skin disease and infectious. After the priest has examined it, he will pronounce the person unclean". This may sound simple but think about it. The person could not return to his home, his job, or his family. “Any person with a serious skin disease must wear torn clothes, leave his hair loose and unbrushed, cover his upper lip, and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as anyone has the sores, that one continues to be ritually unclean. That person must live alone; he or she must live outside the camp". Leviticus 13:45-46 (Message Translation)
So the leper gets all the way up to Jesus. Where were the disciples? Where were his armor bearers? Where was his security detail? Minister Phoenix used his sanctified imagination and suggested that they were taking up rocks to stone the man. But the writer doesn't tell us! Perhaps, they were just stunned by his "Boldness". He decided that he would rather die than stay in the box! He was willing to risk his old life to find a new life. Mark 8:35 says, "The man who tries to save his life will lose it; it is the man who loses his life for my sake and the Gospel’s who will save it". (Phillips Translation)
The leper got up close to Jesus, and says...“If you want to, you can cleanse me". Why wouldn't Jesus want to heal the man? Why would he have to say, if you want to do it I know you can? I'm so glad you asked! The man probably thought that he wasn't worthy. He'd been banished for being sick. He'd been forced to tell everyone his dirty little secret. He'd been reminded of his condition daily. The enemy probably played the same tricks on him that he uses on us. The enemy tells us we deserve to be sick, we deserve to be poor, that bad thing that happened to you, it's your fault. DON'T LISTEN TO THE LIES OF THE ENEMY! Pastor Jimmy Evans said, "God is the Best Daddy in the Universe! WELL FATHERED CHILDREN ARE FEARLESS! The root of all fear, worry, and anxiety is an "Orphan Spirit" because orphans are on their own and they have to take care of their own problems. The enemy wants you to feel that you are on your own and you have to solve your own problems". God wants to heal you! God wants to bless you! God wants to give you everything Jesus died to pay for.
Bishop Alexis A. Thomas was traveling this week. Minister Darrell Phoenix preached, "Breaking Out The Box", but used Mark 1:40-41 as his reference scripture.
Mark 1:40-45 says, "A leper came to him, begging on his knees, “If you want to, you can cleanse me. Deeply moved, Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy. Jesus dismissed him with strict orders: “Say nothing to anyone. Take the offering for cleansing that Moses prescribed and present yourself to the priest. This will validate your healing to the people.” But as soon as the man was out of earshot, he told everyone he met what had happened, spreading the news all over town. So Jesus kept to out-of-the-way places, no longer able to move freely in and out of the city. But people found him, and came from all over". (Message Translation)
There is so much action in this one passage of scripture! First is says, "a leper" came to Jesus. If you know anything about the Bible you remember that there were specific rules about leprosy written in Leviticus. Leviticus 13:1-3 says, "God spoke to Moses and Aaron: “When someone has a swelling or a blister or a shiny spot on the skin that might signal a serious skin disease on the body, bring him to Aaron the priest or to one of his priest sons. The priest will examine the sore on the skin. If the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears more than skin deep, it is a serious skin disease and infectious. After the priest has examined it, he will pronounce the person unclean". This may sound simple but think about it. The person could not return to his home, his job, or his family. “Any person with a serious skin disease must wear torn clothes, leave his hair loose and unbrushed, cover his upper lip, and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as anyone has the sores, that one continues to be ritually unclean. That person must live alone; he or she must live outside the camp". Leviticus 13:45-46 (Message Translation)
So the leper gets all the way up to Jesus. Where were the disciples? Where were his armor bearers? Where was his security detail? Minister Phoenix used his sanctified imagination and suggested that they were taking up rocks to stone the man. But the writer doesn't tell us! Perhaps, they were just stunned by his "Boldness". He decided that he would rather die than stay in the box! He was willing to risk his old life to find a new life. Mark 8:35 says, "The man who tries to save his life will lose it; it is the man who loses his life for my sake and the Gospel’s who will save it". (Phillips Translation)
The leper got up close to Jesus, and says...“If you want to, you can cleanse me". Why wouldn't Jesus want to heal the man? Why would he have to say, if you want to do it I know you can? I'm so glad you asked! The man probably thought that he wasn't worthy. He'd been banished for being sick. He'd been forced to tell everyone his dirty little secret. He'd been reminded of his condition daily. The enemy probably played the same tricks on him that he uses on us. The enemy tells us we deserve to be sick, we deserve to be poor, that bad thing that happened to you, it's your fault. DON'T LISTEN TO THE LIES OF THE ENEMY! Pastor Jimmy Evans said, "God is the Best Daddy in the Universe! WELL FATHERED CHILDREN ARE FEARLESS! The root of all fear, worry, and anxiety is an "Orphan Spirit" because orphans are on their own and they have to take care of their own problems. The enemy wants you to feel that you are on your own and you have to solve your own problems". God wants to heal you! God wants to bless you! God wants to give you everything Jesus died to pay for.
God loves you!
Love and prayers, Cynthia
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