Then He sternly warned him and sent him away at once, telling him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But He was out in deserted places, and they would come to Him from everywhere.
Mark 1:42-45
Mark shows us the emotions of Jesus. In this story of the man with leprosy, we are told that Jesus was moved with compassion and that He reached out and took hold of him in response to the man’s begging, “If you are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus was willing and the man was cleansed from his leprosy. But Jesus' compassionate response was followed by another emotional response. The next emotion shown at first glance is in opposition to the compassionate picture of Jesus reaching out to touch the untouchable.
When Jesus sternly warned the man that he was to say nothing to anyone, the Greek word for “sternly warn” carries with it the idea of being moved with anger. In fact, when I looked up the usage of the word in the Strong’s Concordance, I found: I snort (with the notion of coercion springing out of displeasure, anger, indignation, antagonism), express indignant displeasure with someone; I charge sternly. I looked it up in Helps Word-Studies and found: properly, snort like an angry horse; (literally) “snort (roar) with rage” which expresses strong indignation, i.e., deep feeling that is moved to sternly admonish. So the same depth of emotion expressed in compassion that caused Jesus to be willing to heal was now being expressed in a warning to say nothing to anyone.
In contrast to Jesus reaching out to touch this man who was full of leprosy, we now have Jesus sending him away. Again I went to the Strong’s Concordance to understand the word used. It was a powerful Greek word meaning: I throw (cast, put) out; I banish. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon said that this word included the notion of more or less violence.
However, the man was more in awe of being healed than he was in the one who healed him. He ignored Jesus’ warning and instead of saying nothing to anyone he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news. There is no mention of him showing himself to the priest or offering what Moses prescribed for his cleansing. He ignored Jesus’ stern admonition. Had he obeyed he would have been a witness to the priests and would have carried out the mission given him. Instead his disobedience hampered Jesus. Now instead of the leper it was Jesus who walked in lonely deserted places.
Why did Jesus come? When Jesus began His ministry He began preaching the good news of God by saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news!” In the synagogue He spoke with authority. He showed His authority over demons and over illness, and even leprosy. People flocked to Him, mobbed Him. Why? They wanted release from demonic oppression, they wanted relief from their sickness, they wanted relief from the curse. They saw His deeds but they didn’t recognize Him. Do you think that if the man cured from his leprosy had realized that the one who had compassion on him and had touched him was the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords he would have disobeyed Him? I think if he had understood how near the kingdom of God was to him that he would have repented, believed the good news and gone and shown himself to the priest. Jesus came to do more than heal our bodies, He came to proclaim the kingdom of God!
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