Sunday Gospel Reflection
People came to Jesus from every quarter
Introduction:
Make Me Whole Again
Have you ever seen a true healing? A true restoration? How did these events affect you?
American media seems to be of two minds with personal shortcomings. One usually papers over moral fault lines. Or, one can wallow in the morass. Political pundits insist perfection precedes leadership. But, talk shows encourage the trash they present. Where is the middle ground? When can people admit their broken nature and reach out for healing? Where can they be restored to their former place?
Of course, people do seek and receive healing. But with every resolution comes change. In the cure of the leper, Mark wrote of change. Change in condition. Change in location. And, change in relationship.
First Reading
Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
2 "When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it
turns into a leprous disease on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron
the priest or to one of his sons the priests,
...
44 he is a leprous man, he is unclean; the priest must pronounce him unclean; his disease
is on his head.
45 "The leper who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his
head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry, 'Unclean, unclean.'
46 He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean; he shall dwell
alone in a habitation outside the camp."
Second Reading
1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory
of God.
32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God,
33 just as I try to please all men in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but
that of many, that they may be saved.
11:1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Gospel Reading
Mark 1:40-45
40 A leper came toward HIM, begging HIM, falling to (his) knees, and
said to HIM, "If you wish, you have the power to make me clean."
41 Having feelings (for the leper), having stretched out HIS hand, HE touched (him) and
said to him, "I wish (it). Be cleansed."
42 Immediately, the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.
43 Having clearly warned him, HE immediately he threw him out.
44 HE said to him, "See (that) you do not say anything to anyone. But, go away, show
yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing that Moses commanded, as a
witness to them."
45 The man, having left, began to proclaim all the time and spread the word (about Jesus),
so that it was no longer (possible) for HIM to be able to go openly into a town. But he
was outside (the towns) in deserted areas. And they kept coming to him from everywhere.
Bible Study
Mark 1:40-42
"If you wish, you have the power to make me clean." The leper recognized Jesus had the power not only to cure him. In the eyes of the leper, Jesus could make him "kosher," ritually clean. Jesus could restore him to an honorable place in society and in Judaism. Notice the leper believed Jesus had a power greater than that of the Temple priest. On the one hand, the priest could act as an official witness that declared a leper cleansed; his role was passive. Jesus, on the other hand, had an active role as he who cured and restored. Since only God had the power to make someone truly clean, the leper recognized God's power in Jesus.
In the first turn, a "leper" believed Jesus could make him "clean." In order words, Jesus could bring the man back into the community. As the note above stated, the man held Jesus could do only what God could do: make the man "normal" again.
Notice how Jesus cleansed the man: by touching him. To touch the unclean made one unclean. As John J. Pilch noted in his book, The Cultural World of Jesus (pp. 35), ancient Jews concerned themselves with the notion of pollution, not of infection. They made little distinction between a cultural and a natural source of the pollution, as long as they kept the source of the pollution at a distance. In a culture that had a firm mistrust of change, they had an obligation to reject anything that changed what they believed was a God-given lifestyle. When Jesus touched the diseased man, he "took" the disease upon himself. He changed the status of the "unclean" to "clean" and became polluted. He made himself rejected, so the leper could become accepted. And he did it willingly. In this sense, Mark foreshadowed Jesus' ultimate act of accepting pollution from nature and society. He took death upon himself, so all might have eternal life with God.
Mark 1:43-44
Jesus had deep feelings for the man and his condition. Some translate 1:41 as " . . . filled with pity . . . " Some translate the phrase as "filled with anger (against the evil that infected the man)." In either case, the feelings of Jesus worked in the man's favor. Then, in 1:43-44, Jesus seemed to turn against the cured man. Why?
We can speculate between the lines. In the context of the passage, Jesus fulfilled the request of the leper, but the cured man did not return the favor. Or, in a culture that readily showed emotion, Mark simply reported the turn of events. Or, Jesus used anger to motivate the man to action. (Did Mark use the story to urge his audience to evangelize the Jews in his area?) No matter the reason, Jesus' feeling for the man turned against him.
An angry Jesus commanded the cured leper to fulfill the Law. He was to present himself to the priest so he could be declared "clean." In other words, Jesus could cure, but only the priest could declare the man "cleansed" (see Leviticus 14). As the note above stated, the declaration itself would stand as a witness to God's power. Those who opposed Jesus, Sadducee or Pharisee, would have to recognize the effects of the cure. Through the word of Jesus, the unclean was now clean. The cured man, however, did not fulfill Jesus' request. He spread the Good News in other ways.
Mark 1:45
The man who Jesus cured and threw out became an evangelist. He "proclaimed and spread the word." In the context of Mark, the cured man brought others to faith. So many, in fact, Jesus could not travel in the open for fear of a mob. Yet, they came to him from every point in Galilee. Jesus continued his ministry despite restrictions placed on him. But he could not visit new territories and preach. Word of his power preceded Jesus and brought the needy to him. His power acted as a magnet.
Meditation/Reflections:
· Please re-read the phrase(s)/sentence(s) that move(s)/touche(s) you and what inner message of the heart is the Spirit whispering to you ?
. What hope has God given you in times of illness? How have fellow Christians helped you when you were ill? Did their help or prayers help you through the effects of your illness? How?
. God calls us to wholeness. But we cannot stay in the Lord's
house forever. We need get back to our daily routines and relationships. It is not a
return to the status quo. It is a chance to proclaim and to serve.
-----How would you like to be made whole? Is it in body, spirit, or
relationship? Write down your thoughts and desires for wholeness. Present them to God this
week. And pray for the power to trust him with that list.
. Mark 1:40-41
----Who are the "untouchables" in your life, that you prefer to
avoid? What can we learn from Jesus about helping others?
----Have you ever reach out to someone who was/is being left out by people
around him/her?. How did you feel afterwards? How about that person?
. When was the last time you show some loving gestures to some members of your family? If you were the one receiving these, do you feel being loved?
. Do you follow Jesus to His quiet place of prayer? What do you experience there?
To live His Word this week:
1. Determine to go one loving act to at least one member of your family
such as rubbing head, hug, kiss, put your arm over his/her shoulder, etc.
2. Offer to God to pray for world peace.
For Youngsters:
.Put your dirty clothes where they belong.
Prayer
Lord, inflame my heart with your love and make me clean. May I never cease to tell others of your love and mercy.