Jesus, please heal me!
A Gospel Enquiry
Have you ever taken time out to think about Jesus’ saying, “Render to Caesar the things that are Ceasar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”? He said this when he was challenged by some of his critics who had murder on their minds. They wanted to be rid of him because he disrupted their world.
The Gospel account of the healing of the leper, found in Mark’s Gospel, can be disruptive if you allow yourself the time and generosity to consider its meaning for you. After all, should one disobey the rules set in place for the good order of society, which presumably have their origin in God’s laws, just to protect yourself?
Sometimes, human dignity is found to be in conflict with the laws of society and the consequences can help to transform the world … or lead it further away from its Creator.
May this Gospel Enquiry lead to your transformation and to the transformation of the world.
The Gospel
A man with a skin disease came to Jesus. He fell to his knees and begged Jesus, “You can heal me if you will.”
Jesus felt sorry for the man, so he reached out his hand and touched him and said, “I will. Be healed!” Immediately the disease left the man, and he was healed.
Jesus told the man to go away at once, but he warned him strongly, “Don’t tell anyone about this. But go and show yourself to the priest. And offer the gift Moses commanded for people who are made well. This will show the people what I have done.” The man left there, but he began to tell everyone that Jesus had healed him, and so he spread the news about Jesus. As a result, Jesus could not enter a town if people saw him. He stayed in places where nobody lived, but people came to him from everywhere. (Mark 1:40-45)
The Enquiry
See
Identify the elements of this event in the life and work of Jesus. Have you ever had someone come to you, desperate for your help? What did you do?
How did Jesus respond to the man’s cry for help? Why did he respond in this way? Was this characteristic of Jesus’ way of dealing with people? Which other Gospel stories do you know that are similar to this story?
What did the man do when he was healed? How did that affect Jesus? How were others affected by the man being healed?
Judge
What do you think about this event in Jesus’ life? Would you have obeyed Jesus? Or would you have gone and told everyone you met that you had been healed by him?
What lesson do you take away from this action of Jesus that informs and nourishes your faith in him? Where is the healing power of Jesus most evident in your life at the moment?
Do you think things would have been different for the man had he followed Jesus’ directions? Ideally, should we see society’s laws as signs of God at work in the world?
Act
What needs to change in our society so that God’s creative work can be seen, acknowledged and celebrated?
What action can you commit to that will help others to bring about that change? When and where and for how often will you help others to see and celebrate God’s presence and power in the world?
Who can you involve in your action and how and when will you get them to participate in your action?
Author: Pat Branson
Image source: https://www.ospreyobserver.com/2019/07/the-mighty-miracles-of-jesus-the-healing-of-a-leper/