Lord, Make Me ___________

Every time I read the story about the leper who came to Jesus for healing, I feel unclean, too, as it reveals things about me that I don’t like.

In all versions found in the gospels (Mark 1:40-45; Matt. 8:2-4; Luke 5:12-14), the leper immediately recognizes Jesus’ authority. In Matthew’s gospel, the leper comes and bows, in Mark’s gospel, he beseechingly falls to his knees, and in Luke’s retelling of the event, the leper falls on his face imploring Jesus to heal him. In his desperation to be clean and healed from the disease, he starts where many of us fail who are “clean” and “whole” in body—he begins his search for healing at the feet of Jesus. I am not sure about other people, but I know that I often try to fix things myself and seek help anywhere it might be found, saving the begging for when the pain of (fill in the blank) becomes unbearable. How is it that after all of the years I have been His, I am still learning these simplistic lessons? I know this, and it frustrates me to death when my sin nature rears its head and asserts itself so often. I am growing more and more weary of my sinful self and more appreciative of what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:5 about demolishing “arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.” I, too, need to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

I find it interesting as well that this leper came near Jesus in the midst of the multitudes following him around. A leper would’ve been required to stay a certain distance from people (a specific distance set by priests varying from a rod to a hundred paces) and cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” everywhere he went, allowing people plenty of time to remove themselves from his path and the risk of becoming unclean themselves. Imagine the crowd dispersing when he dared to approach Jesus. Unlike others with different ailments hoping for even a touch from Christ, there was probably no risk that he would be locked out by the crowd—the amazing thing is that he dared to approach at all. His courage shames me. I lack much of that.

Then he says what really strikes me: “Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean” (NIV) There is so much packed into that small sentence.

First, in kneeling down, he recognizes Jesus divine authority and addresses him as Lord.

Second, he acknowledges the sovereignty of God in saying “if you are willing.” [And wasn’t that really the rub with Job’s situation as well—the idea that God is sovereign yet allowed Job’s family to die, his wealth to be dispersed to marauding bandits, his health to be afflicted with awful boils all over his body, and his reputation to suffer even though Job was righteous and innocent?] The idea of God's sovereignty over everything is a hot-button topic even today. Many are willing to call themselves Christian but are unwilling to submit to God’s authority or even recognize that in His sovereignty, He can do whatever He wants with our lives. No, He is not a capricious God, but He does have plans and thoughts we are not privy to that will ultimately bring Him glory and accomplish what He already knows will happen. In today’s culture it looks like this: “Ok, Lord, let me tell you what it is OK to do with my life . . . and what it is not OK for you to do in my life . . .” The leper's "If "is a huge word! And it takes my wants out of the equation.

Third, the leper in his brokenness already understands the creator God of the universe can do anything He wants with a life He created, so he says, “You can make me clean.” He acknowledges that Jesus has the ability to cleanse him without assuming he will do so. This leper encountered the ONE way we can all be made clean—to encounter the Savior of the world and bow at His feet acknowledging our sinful state and his power to heal all of our sin and brokenness.

To be clean is something beyond our ability to do for ourselves. I can’t clean me up, but I can kneel before the one who can. After the leper kneels and asks his question, each of these gospels tells us that Jesus stretched out His hand and touched this leper. Jesus willingness to touch the untouchable shows his compassion, but it is interesting that in Mark’s gospel, a phrase is added about Jesus: “And moved with compassion, He stretched out His hand, and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed’” (NIV). The plight of this man touched the heart of Jesus, and out of Jesus’ compassion for this man, out of His goodness, Jesus, the son of God who took on the form of man, reached out and did something about his leprosy not because the leper deserved it or desired it or declared it, but because Jesus’ compassion compelled it. We don’t deserve anything short of death and hell, but Jesus, in His compassion, came to earth, lived a sinless life while here, and died a death He didn’t deserve to save me from what I do deserve (And then He rose again demonstrating He had power over death, hell, and the grave).

My own lack of constant awareness and appreciation for this salvation makes me sad. He is always willing to forgive, heal, encourage, touch, but I’m not, as His words in Matthew 26:41 remind me: "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (NASB). I am not a leper, but my flesh is very weak, and I really don’t like that. So, what does one do? For me, each time I struggle and overcome with His power or struggle and fail through trying to use my own power, I learn from it. I grow muscles that help me the next time I face temptation. I remember that my place is at the feet of Jesus. Submitted. Learning. Growing. Being usable. Obeying.

The end of this story in Mark’s gospel shows this. Jesus tells the now clean and whole man to say nothing, but to go and fulfill the requirements of the law by showing himself to the priest and offering a sacrifice for his cleansing as Moses had commanded. But what did the leper do? “He went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news about, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas” (NASB). Yes, the leper was grateful, but he was not obedient. However, the good news in this is that even though Christ stayed in the unpopulated areas, the people still came to Him from everywhere. 

God’s power is not limited by our failures to be obedient, but being grateful and obedient should be our desire.

Natalie Grant has a song entitled "Clean." It's powerful, and I hope you'll take a minute to listen: