Mark 1:35-45

4. HEALING OF THE LEPER1:35-45

TEXT 1:35-45

And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose up and went out, and departed into a desert place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him; and they found him; and say unto him, All are seeking thee. And he saith unto them, Let us go elsewhere into the next towns, that I may preach there also; for to this end came I forth. And he went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out devils. And there cometh to him a leper, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And being moved with compassion, he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway the leprosy departed from him, and he was made clean. And he strictly charged him, and straightway sent him out, and saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing the things that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into a city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS: 1:35-45

55.

Are we to understand that this incident occurred after the busy sabbath of Mark 1:21-34?

56.

Did Jesus have a particular reason for prayers? If so, what was it?

57.

Why get up so early?

58.

Why not pray in his room?

59.

What needs did Jesus have that could be satisfied in prayer?

60.

Why did Simon follow Jesus? Who was seeking Jesus? For what reason?

61.

Did Jesus come to heal or to preach? Does Jesus say in Mark 1:38 that He was sent from heaven to preach?

62.

How did Jesus have such ready access to the synagogues?

63.

Was there a crowd about Jesus when the leper came to Him? Cf. Matt. and Luke.

64.

Give three characteristics of the leper.

65.

Do our physical and emotional infirmities move with compassion our Savior? Cf. Hebrews 4:14-15.

66.

Why touch the leper?

67.

Why didn-'t Jesus inquire of the Father's will in the healing?

68.

How long did it take to effect a complete cure of the leprosy?

69.

Why be so stern when He has just been so tender?

70.

Why go to the priest? To whom was the testimony (Mark 1:44) to be given?

71.

Why did the leper disobey Jesus?

COMMENT 1:35-45

TIMEApril-June, A.D. 28. The healing of Peter's wife's mother occurred immediately after the same sabbath on which Jesus-' teaching in the synagogue was interrupted by the demoniac. After this he began his first missionary tour of Galilee. The healing of the leper was toward the latter part of the tour, in May or June. This was in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Emperor of Rome; Pontius Pilate was now Governor of Judea and Herod Antipas Tetrarch of Galilee.
PLACESCapernaum, and the towns and cities of Galilee. This was Jesus-' first missionary circuit of Galilee. The sea, or lake of Galilee, was 13 miles long, from 4 to 6 miles wide, was 165 feet deep in the deepest part, and lay 700 feet below the level of the Mediterranean Sea. Its western and northern shores were at this date densely inhabited, and five populous cities, Bethsaida, Chorazin, Capernaum, Magdala and Tiberias, stood upon or near its bank. It was on the direct route between the great city of Damascus and the Mediterranean, and was hence an appropriate center for the Lord's missionary labors. Its shores are now desolate, and the boats that once covered its surface have almost entirely disappeared. The rule of the Turks, the lawlessness, and the raids of the Bedouin, have desolated one of the fairest spots on the earth.

PARALLEL ACCOUNTSThe healing of Peter's wife's mother and others (Mark 1:29-34) is recorded also in Matthew 8:14-17, and Luke 4:38-41. The first circuit of Galilee (Mark 1:35-39), also in Luke 4:42; Luke 4:44 followed by Matthew 4:23-25. The healing of the leper (Mark 1:40-45), also in Matthew 8:2-4, and Luke 5:12-16.

OUTLINE1. The Lonely Prayer. 2. Seeking to Save the Lost. 3. Healing the Leper.

ANALYSIS

I.

THE LONELY PRAYER. Mark 1:35-37.

1.

Prayer in the Secret Place. Mark 1:35; Luke 4:42.

2.

Sought by the Disciples. Mark 1:36-37; Luke 4:42.

II.

SEEKING TO SAVE THE LOST. Mark 1:38-39.

1.

The First Missionary Tour. Mark 1:38; Matthew 4:23; Luke 4:43.

2.

Preaching in the Synagogues. Mark 1:39; Matthew 4:23; Luke 4:44.

III.

HEALING THE LEPER. Mark 1:40-45.

1.

The Leper's Appeal. Mark 1:40; Matthew 8:2; Luke 5:12.

2.

The Lord Hears and Heals. Mark 1:41-42; Matthew 8:3; Luke 5:13.

3.

Leper spreads Abroad the Story. Mark 1:45; Luke 4:15.

INTRODUCTION

The Sabbath service in the synagogue had been interrupted by the outcry of the demoniac while Jesus was preaching. After his cure, and the close of the public services, Jesus with his four disciples retires to the modest home of Peter and Andrew, where he works a miracle, the beginning of a series which leads to the height of his fame and popularity and success through Galilee. The leper was healed on the first missionary circuit of Galilee, not long after the preaching of the Sermon on the Mount.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

I. THE LONELY PRAYER.Mark 1:35. And in the morning. On Sunday morning, immediately after the busy Sabbath day, Mark graphically brings the scene before our eyes. The previous day had been a long day of conflict with and victory over the kingdom of sin and death. He now retires to refresh himself in the haven of prayer, in communion with his Father. He prepares himself in the desert for a second great mission of love, this time accompanied by his first four disciples. A great while before day. Our Lord always prepared himself for special work or for trial by solitary prayer. See Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46; Luke 5:16; Luke 6:12; Luke 22:41, It is possible that his night was sleepless because of his anxiety for others; and he arose from his sleepless couch to pray for strength. We may learn from his example (1) that when we are restless and anxious the best relief is found in prayer; (2) the prayer most efficacious, when we have a special burden, is solitary prayer, the prayer of the closet. Christ was wont to seek solitude for special occasions of prayer. Solitary place. Not merely solitary, for a garden might be solitary, but desert, desolate, as the word in all other places is rendered. A remarkable feature of the lake of Gennesaret was that is was closely surrounded with desert solitudes. These desert places thus close at hand on the table lands or in the ravines of the eastern and western ranges, gave opportunities of retirement for rest or prayer. -Rising up early in the morning while it was yet dark,-' or -passing over to the other side in a boat,-' he sought these solitudes, sometimes alone, sometimes with his disciples. The lake in this double aspect is thus a reflex of that union of energy and rest, of active labor and deep emotion which is the essence of Christianity, as it was of the life of Him in whom that union was first taught and shown.Stanley's Sinai and Palestine. And there prayed. The original word does not simply denote asking. Prayer, says Petler, is a holy conference with God. Prayer gave him power. The gate to heaven is prayer. No man is strong enough or spiritual enough to be able to neglect it. By daily food the body lives and is able to perform its functions, By daily prayer the soul lives, and only by prayer performs its work of grace. Christ communed in the wilderness with his own soul and with the Father for forty days before he began his ministry, and here he waits before the Lord before beginning his special work in Galilee.

Mark 1:36. Simon, and they were with him. The Simon here named is Simon Peter, the apostle, to whose house the Lord had gone after the discourse at the synagogue on the day before. The others with him were probably Andrew his brother, and James and John, who had now left their secular business to attend the Savior. Peter, impetuous, abrupt, impulsive, did not hesitate to intrude himself on the Lord's retirement. -He is always the same, wherever he appears in the four gospels; self-confident, generous, bold, often making mistakes from his impulsiveness, and always ready to correct them. On this occasion he, no doubt, acted as the leader in the search after the praying Savior. Morison says: When they awoke in the morning, and found him gone, they seemed to have got alarmed lest he should have left them, betaking himself to some other sphere of labor. So, too, the inhabitants of the little city in general seem to have felt. Hence the haste and eagerness of Simon and his companions (Andrew, James and John, see Mark 1:29), as indicated by the strong verb employed: they pursued him, as if he were fleeing from them. Peter was the leader of the pursuing party, thus giving early indication of the impulsive ardor of his nature.

Mark 1:37. And they found him. Search and uncertainty is implied, since he had retired to an unfrequented spot. They said unto him. Peter said this to induce him to return and the crowd besought him to stay. The will of the multitude did not govern him, as they supposed, hence the reply in the next verse. All seek thee. That is, though indefinitely, all the people (in Capernaum.) The people in general had no sooner risen in the morning than they thought of the wonderful preacher and healer and demon-expeller. (Luke 4:42). They wanted still to hear more, and to see more; and hence they came, one after another to the house where he had been lodging in quest of him. The emphasis is on the word seek.

II. SEEKING TO SAVE THE LOST.Mark 1:38. Let us go into the next towns. The disciples had pressed the Lord to return to Capernaum, because all men there were seeking for him, but he replies by a request for them to attend him to other cities. In Luke (Luke 4:43) he says. I must preach the kingdom of God in other cities also. Towns. The word so translated means village cities, country towns, imperfectly enclosed towns, and unenclosed villages. Josephus says, concerning the two Galilees, Upper and Lower, The cities lie thick; and the multitude of villages are everywhere full of people, in consequence of the richness of the soil, so that the very least of them contains about 15,000 inhabitants (War, Mark 3:3; Mark 3:2). Christ had no ambition to be a metropolitan preacher. Having awakened spiritual desires in the people of Capernaum, he went elsewhere that he might awaken them in others also.Abbott. For therefore came I forth. To preach. He wrought miracles, but these were mainly to arrest attention and to induce people to give a ready ear to his preaching. Preached. The form of Jesus-' preaching was essentially Jewish. It was concise, epigrammatic, oracular, so pointed as to stick in the mind like an arrow. It swarmed with figures of speech. He thought in images, pictures. The qualities of the preacher were (1) authority; (2) boldness; (3) power; (4) graciousness.Stalker's Life of Our Lord. The places of preaching were the synagogues in each city, and the times, the Sabbath days. Besides, he was constantly teaching and healing during the week. Throughout all Galilee. Throughout the whole region, as well as the nearest towns (Matthew 4:23). Josephus says that in his day there were 240 towns and villages in Galilee (Life, 45). Galilee, the northernmost province of Judea, was the scene of Christ's most abundant labors; all the apostles except Judas Iscariot were Galileans; its inhabitants were simple-minded and comparatively free from the control of the priestly class, which ruled in Judea, and from the bigotry and intolerance of the Jews who dwelt about Jerusalem. The greater part of Mark's Gospel is confined to our Lord's ministry in Galilee, Cast out devils, Referred to again and again as the most remarkable exhibition of his power, being utterly incurable and unmanageable by men; and as the best type of his whole work on earth, casting out all evil, all that mars this world, and fitting the world for the kingdom of heaven. For a discussion of devils or demons and demoniacs, see the preceding section. The Lord not only cast out demons and thus delivered men from their power, but he came to destroy the power of the devil.

III. HEALING THE LEPERMark 1:40. There came a leper to him. This account is also given in Matthew 8:2-4, and in Luke 5:12-13. Matthew places it after the Sermon on the Mount, but he does not aim to follow the chronological order closely, and we are only to infer that it came soon after the descent from the mountain, after he entered a certain city and before his return to Capernaum. Luke says that the leper was healed at a certain city but does not say what one, Luke says, A man full of leprosy (Luke 5:12). This disease is nothing short of a foul decay, arising from the total corruption of the blood. It was a living death, as indicated by bare head, rent clothes, and covered lip. In the middle ages, a man seized with leprosy was clothed in a shroud, and the masses of the dead sung over him. In its horrible repulsiveness it is the gospel type of sin,Farrar. Leprosy began with little specks on the eyelids and on the palms of the hands, and gradually spread over different parts of the body, bleaching the hair white wherever it showed itself, crusting the affected parts with shining scales, and causing swellings and sores. From the skin it slowly ate its way through the tissues, to the bones and joints, and even to the marrow, rotting the whole body piecemeal. The lungs, the organs of speech and hearing, and the eyes, were attacked in turn, till at last consumption or dropsy brought welcome death. The dread of infection kept men aloof from the sufferer; and the law proscribed him as above all men unclean. The disease was hereditary to the fourth generation.Geikie. The leprosy, We find that nearly everywhere the disease is most common on the seashore, and that, when it spreads inland, it generally occurs on the shores of lakes or along the course of large rivers.Medical Press. Is the leprosy contagious? A review of the evidence led the speaker to the conclusion that this disease was not contagious by ordinary contact; but it may be transmitted by the blood and secretions. It is a well-established fact that when leprosy has once gained for itself a foothold in any locality, it is apt to remain there and spread. Being the worst form of disease, leprosy was fixed upon by God to be the especial type of sin; and the injunctions regarding it had reference to its typical character. It was accompanied by the emblems of death. (Leviticus 13:45, comp. with Numbers 6:9. Ezekiel 24:17). It involved ceremonial uncleanness (see Numbers 19:13. Ezekiel 45:25); and the exclusion of the leper from the congregation (Leviticus 13:44-46. Numbers 5:1-3; Numbers 12-14, Numbers 12:15. 2 Chronicles 24:19-21) strikingly typified the separation of the sinner from God's presence. Kneeling down. Not an act of worship, but a gesture of entreaty. There is no contrivance of our body but some good man in Scripture hath hallowed it with prayer. The publican standing, Job sitting, (Job 2:8,) Hezekiah lying on his bed, (2 Kings 20:2,) Elijah with his face between his legs, (1 Kings 18:42.) But of all postures give me St. Paul'S: For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 3:12; Acts 7:60.Thomas Fuller. If thou wilt, thou canst. If thou art willing, thou art able. The leper had faith in the miraculous power of Jesus, but had a doubt about his willingness to exercise it on such an object as him, on one so unclean. Here was (1) a thorough consciousness of his own misery and helplessness; (2) he knew it was not too bad for Christ's power. It has been well said that the language of faith always is, not if thou canst, but if thou. wilt. He is willing to leave the whole matter in Christ's hands. (3) Let us pause on this little word IF. If embodies doubt; and faith, in its earlier stages, almost always involves doubt, but, when the soul can use if, it has made great progress in faith. Cleanse me. He felt the impurity of his disease, not merely ceremonial, but actual,as we should feel the impurity of sin, and pray not merely, forgive, but cleanse.

Mark 1:41. Moved with compassion. Jesus felt for the leper what he and his Father feel for all sinners, an unutterable compassion and love. Touched himTo have touched him was, in the eyes of a Jew, to have made himself unclean, but he had come to break through the deadly externalism that had taken the place of true religion, and could have shown no more strikingly how he looked on mere rabbinical precepts than by making a touch, which, till then, had entailed the worst uncleanness, the means of cleansing. Slight though it seemed, the touch of the leper was the proclamation that Judaism was abrogated henceforth.Geikie. His hand became not unclean from the leprosy, but the leprous body was made clean by his holy hand.Chrysostom.

Mark 1:42. The leprosy departed. At the touch and command, the leprosy immediately departed and the man was well.

Mark 1:43. Straitly charged him. Strictly and positively charged him.

Mark 1:44. Say nothing to any man. Our Lord almost uniformly repressed the fame of his miracles, for the reason given in Matthew 12:15-21, that, in accordance with prophetic truth, he might be known as the Messiah, not by wonder-working power, but by the great result of his work upon earth. See chap. Mark 12:16-19. Thus the apostles always refer primarily to the resurrection, and only incidentally, if at all, to the wonders and signs. Another reason, perhaps, was that the Lord wished him to obtain the legal certificate of cleanness from the priest before too much was said, It might be refused through prejudice. Show thyself to the priest. At Jerusalem. Those things which Moses commanded. Viz., (1) two birds, alive and clean (Leviticus 14:4); (2) cedar wood, (3) scarlet, (4) hyssop; this was for the preliminary ceremony (Leviticus 14:4-7). On the eighth day further offerings were to be made(1) two he-lambs without blemish, (2) one ewe-lamb, (3) three tenth deals of fine flour, (4) one log of oil. If the leper was poor, he was permitted to offer one lamb and two doves or pigeons, with one-tenth deal of fine flour. The law was still in force and the Lord strictly enjoins that it be observed.

Mark 1:45. Began to publish. Where men ought to publish Christ, alas! how silent are they. Here, when the great Savior commanded silence, this man will publish the cure. Thus our Lord's work was hindered. How many from ill-timed zeal prevent much good! Could no more openly enter into the city. Not the city of Capernaum, but any city or town. He was compelled to go into the desert places. He was unable, because, the moment that his presence was recognized in a town, he was liable to be surrounded and hemmed in by a surging crowd of ignorant, and ignorantly expectant, gazers, wonderers and volunteer followers. One sees now how wise it was to tell the leper to hold his tongue. And they came to him from every quarter. The people kept coming to him, notwithstanding the difficulty of reaching him, and the inconvenience connected with a sojourn, even for a very limited period, in an unpopulated district.

FACT QUESTIONS 1:35-45

66.

Give the time for this sectioni.e. date, the name of the emperor, governor and tetrarch.

67.

State three places involved in these versesi.e. Mark 1:35-45.

68.

What is the condition of Capernaum today?

69.

Please read Matthew 8:14-17; Luke 4:38-41 for a parallel account of part of the record in Mark. Read Luke 4:42-44; Matthew 4:23-25; also Matthew 8:2-4 and Luke 5:12-16 for the rest of the account.

70.

Mention again the purpose of prayer in the life of Jesus. Read Matthew 14:23; Luke 5:16; Luke 6:12.

71.

What one lesson can we learn from the praying of Jesus?

72.

What is meant by the word solitary in reference to the place of prayer?

73.

What more than mere petition was involved in the praying of Jesus?

74.

Why did Peter so urgently, eagerly seek for Jesus?

75.

Why did the multitude of Capernaum seek Jesus? Why didn-'t He return?

76.

What was the possibility for preaching in Galileei.e. how many towns, how many people?

77.

Mention two qualities of the preaching of Jesus.

78.

Why especially mention casting out demons?

79.

Where and when in the ministry of our Lord was the leper healed?

80.

How serious was the leprosy of the one healed?

81.

Why did the leper kneel to Jesus?

82.

Why the question of If thou wilt?

83.

Did the leper doubt the power of Christ?

84.

How deeply was Jesus moved with the need of the leper? Why touch him?

85.

Why go to the priest if he was already healed?

SUMMARY 1:14-45

In this section Mark has furnished a striking exhibition of both the divine authority and the divine power of Jesus. Such was the authority which he could exercise over men, that when he commanded the four fishermen to follow him, they left all they had on earth, without a question or a moment's delay, and followed him. And such was the authority with which he commanded demons, that although these wicked spirits were not willingly obedient, they instantly departed from their victims at his bidding. Such, too, was his power, that at his touch the malignant fever, the incurable leprosy, and all the maladies which afflict the body, were instantly healed. Such, finally, was his unexampled meekness, that amid these displays of divine authority and power, when popular applause ran high, he retired by night to pray, or wandered away into desert places. His meekness was as high above the capacity of a merely human being, as were his miracles. McGarvey.

DIFFERENCE FROM MATTHEW

One of the characteristic differences between Mark and Matthew, their difference in regard to arrangement, is conspicuous in their modes of treating the subject-matter of the preceding section. Mark uses almost the same material with Matthew, but how differently he arranges it! They both begin with the removal of Jesus to Galilee, after the imprisonment of John, and follow this with the call of the four fishermen; but Matthew next introduces the general statement of the preaching throughout Galilee (Matthew 4:23-25), which Mark reserves until after the cures at Simon's house (Mark 1:39); he next devotes considerable space to the sermon on the mount, which Mark omits; then he introduces as his first mentioned miracle the cure of the leper (Mark 8:1-4), which is the third miracle mentioned by Mark (Mark 1:40-45); his second miracle is the cure of the centurion's servant (Matthew 8:5-13), of which Mark says nothing; his third is that of Simon's mother-in-law, which is the second with Mark; and finally, they unite in following this last miracle with the cures at Simon's door. This difference alone is sufficient proof that Mark's narrative is not an abridgement of Matthew'S.McGarvey

SIDE-LIGHTS

1. The Leprosy.Wandering a little way outside the walls of the city we came upon the dwellings of the lepers. The place is separated from all other human habitations, and consists of a rude court or enclosure, containing about twenty huts or kennels. At the sound of our voices and footsteps the lepers came out into the sunlight, clamoring with most unearthly sounds for charity. Death was visibly eating them away. Some were of a liver color, others white as snowall deformed. Handless arms were held out to us; half-consumed limbs obtruded; countenances woefully defaced and eyeless were turned up to us, and cries came out from palateless mouths that were wildly imploring and inhuman. The old law which prohibited the leper from touching or drawing near to a clean person, was scrupulously regarded by them, so that, even when they begged, they stretched out to us little iron cups into which we might drop our alms.Thompson.

2. Leprosy as a Type.Thus sin affects the soul, rendering it unclean, separating it from God, producing spiritual death; unfitting it forever for heaven and the company of the holy, and insuring its eternal banishment, as polluted and abominable. Some, as they look on infancy, reject with horror the thought that sin exists within. But so might any one say who looked upon the beautiful babe in the arms of a leprous mother. But time brings forth the fearful malady. New-born babes of leprous parents are often as pretty and as healthy in appearance as any; but by and by its presence and workings become visible in some of the signs described in the 13th chapter of Leviticus.Land and Book, 11:519.

3. How to be Healed.(1) We must see Jesus, inquire after him, acquaint ourselves with him. (2) We must humble ourselves before him, as this leper, seeing Christ, fell on his face; we must be ashamed of our pollution, and, in the sense of it, blush to lift up our faces before the holy Jesus. (3) We must earnestly desire to be cleansed from the defilement and cured of the disease of sin, which renders us unfit for communion with God. (4) We must firmly believe in Christ's ability and sufficiency to cleanse us. Lord, thou canst make me clean, though I be full of leprosy. No doubt is to be made of the merit and grace of Christ. (5) We must be importunate for pardon and grace: He fell on his face and besought him. They that would be cleansed must reckon it a favor worth wrestling for. (6) We must refer ourselves to the good will of Christ: Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst.M. Henry.

LESSONS

1. We cannot save sinners, but we can bring them to Christ, the Savior.
2. Every one, like Christ, needs seasons of retirement and prayer. Spiritual growth comes from activity in Christian work, and seasons of restful communion with God.
3. The hardest work in the world is casting out the devils of sin. Building cities and ruling empires are nothing in comparison.
4. Sin is like leprosyincurable, loathsome, contagious, hereditary, painful, all-pervasive, from small beginnings; shameful, separating from others.
5. Learn from the leper how the sinner should come to Jesus and be saved. He felt his disease; despaired of human help; believed in the power of Jesus; he came with his leprosy and submitted to the will of Jesus.Clark.

6. In the services we are called to render one another, we fail far oftener from want of will than want of power. We fail to use many opportunities, not because we cannot, but because we will not, use them.Howson.

7. The healed by Christ are his living witnesses that he can save men. Even enemies must acknowledge the change. Every transformed sinner is a living witness of Christ's power to save.

POINTS FOR TEACHERS

1. Review the Sabbath day's work, the wonderful discourse, the admiring multitude, the demoniac healed, all Capernaum stirred, the woman healed, the throngs that gather at the house of Peter, the multitude of miracles. 2. Observe the Savior at rest in the darkness of night, rising to pray before the dawn, possibly praying to be saved from popularity, in lonely prayer in the morning twilight. 3. Note the eager search led by Peter, their triumphant assurance of his popularity, all men seeking for him, his rejection of the popular breeze, and determination to go elsewhere. 4. Observe his missionary circuit and his work: (1) Preaching in the synagogues, (2) teaching daily, (3) healing the distressed and diseased or sin-laden. 5. Note the healing of the leper, his awful disease, a type of sin, unclean, banished from men. 6. Observe how he is healed: (1) He wants to be healed, (2) believes that Christ can heal him, (3) comes to Christ, (4) falls before him and implores mercy, (5) the Lord has compassion, (6) touches and heals. Thus every sinner by faith and coming to Christ can be healed of his sins. The lesson sets forth Christ as the great Healer. (1) He prepared for his great labors by solitary prayer (Mark 1:35), as we need the more to commune with God, and get strength from heaven, the more we have to do. (2) He made his first missionary tour through Galilee (Mark 1:36-39); and on this tour (3) he healed a leperthe type of sin and its cure (Mark 1:40-45,) a most helpful illustration of the evil of sin, and of the way of salvation by going to Christ to be saved.