March 4, 2026

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Instead of showing himself to the priest and offering the appropriate sacrifices, the man cured of leprosy by Jesus went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to Him from everywhere.”

(Mark 1.45)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

What if you have been cured of a disease that not only threatened your physical health but your social and spiritual health as well. How would you react? We are a culture of survivors and I am one of them. I have survived two battles with cancer. Sadly, I cannot say the same for those in my family who have been afflicted by cancer, too. Still, there are many survivor stories around us. They who have survived have a story to tell and with deep gratitude to the healing staff and team who supported them.

What if a man walked up to you, whether at your request or not, and said “Go, you are made well.” What if you knew in that moment what had been thought or spoken in your heart and mind happened. How would you react? Is there an emotional surge of adrenalin with the feeling of freedom? Do you rush to a doctor to validate the claim? Do you seek out some social media venue to declare who you are now? Do you drop to your knees and give thanks? All of these, and other, responses are recorded in scripture. In the first chapter of Mark, a leprous man approached Jesus and said, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” I have reflected on the relationships Jesus had built with the “four men for men.” We do not know if there had been some relationship between Jesus and the leprous man or not. His comment to Jesus, however, stands out as different from other similar situations. In other requests, the recognition of faith is almost always a part of the conversation. It is a question of Jesus’ faith. Their healing comes when Jesus replies, “If you have faith…” or “If you believe….” The leprous man does not question Jesus’ faith. Instead, the question is of willingness. The leprous man does not question his faith in Jesus. The leprous man does not question that there may be others, such as a rabbi or teacher of the Law or a priest, whose faith could effect his healing. The question is “willingness.”

We see this question arise in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. A righteous man of Israel is returning home from his journey to Jerusalem. Perhaps he had gone to Jerusalem on business. It may have been during one of the holy day celebrations. What is unique to the story is those who passed by. The first two individuals were not together but they did serve in the Temple. Interesting that they travelled alone, separately. They would have been as susceptible to attack as the man who was left for dead in the ditch. More interesting that they travelled alone because of their office as a priest and as a Levite. Service to the Temple was done by family groups for a week at a time. It was on a rotation basis and then by lots. There would have been six priests and six Levites, separately or together. These two were on their own. This may lend itself to their disposition as well as their unwillingness to help. Not only were they “afraid of becoming impure” but they feared what might await them. They crossed on the other side to provide an excuse for not rendering aid because they could say “I did not see a man” or “I was afraid.” That they would be ritually impure seems a stretch since they were heading away from Jerusalem (they were going down). Their service would have been completed. They had done all that the “law” required of them in their “station.” Such unwillingness to render aid was a word against those in the Temple in general. Jesus had a way of saying things without saying a thing. However, a Samaritan man was willing to help. He had no “obligation” to the Temple. He was a businessman. Perhaps he was even known in Jericho and beyond because of his business; and quite possibly because of his charity. He was willing. The others were not.

The question for me today is about that “willingness.” Jesus was disturbed by the assumption of “unwillingness.” His reputation for insightful and powerful teaching as well as good works of healing and blessing would not speak of an “unwillingness.” Of course, Jesus was willing. He was not like those of that generation who made promises they would not keep, conditional promises which would have benefitted their own purses or ignore them altogether. Of course, the last option was generally the one most experienced by lepers, blind, deaf, dumb, prostitutes, etc. They were worse than Samaritans to the religious leadership. That is why they would have been seen as unwilling. This was not the image of Jesus. He not only desired to heal but to proclaim that sickness or healing was more of a physical than a spiritual fact. He stood counter to the “consensus of the day.” Now, what of our willingness? The healed leper was unwilling to be quiet. He told everyone about his healing and about Jesus. What of our willingness to be evangelists? We have received the greatest healing of all- our salvation from the penalty of our sin which is eternal death. Why are we not out and about declaring the goodness of God to us in Christ Jesus? Or are we simply wanting to pass by on the other side believing our duty has been done? Remember, too, our salvation is not by works but becomes a good work in the lives of others. Are we working out our salvation and working the gospel call to salvation in the lives of others? It is a powerful challenge…. if we are willing!

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.