The Heart of God

Introduction

Spenser was about eighteen months old when he had a fever-induced seizure. These are not uncommon. I had two before my second birthday. Spenser’s first child had one before his second birthday. At the time that they happen, parents are more than a little concerned. We rushed Spenser to St. Francis Hospital for evaluation but they quickly transferred us to LeBonheur. We spent a sleepless night waiting for tests to be run. At one point, they wanted to remove spinal fluid to check for meningitis. Those in charge ushered us out of the room for the procedure. As we stood outside, an attendant went into the room. By the sheer size of the man, I knew what he was for. Easily six feet four inches and well muscled, his job was to hold Spenser in place for the fluid to be taken from his spinal column. It was the first time and it certainly wasn’t the last, that I wanted to take his place. I took comfort in realizing that he would have no memory of that event, but I knew his little body was going to go through something that no parent wants for their child.

We do not want our children to suffer but living in a fallen and imperfect world means that they will. And when our children suffer, good parents recognize that it is a part of life but we also want to take their place. There have been plenty of parents who have said something to the effect of “I wish I could do this for you.” This reveals the heart of the parent. In our text this morning, we will rediscover the heart of God through watching Jesus. A heart that is full of love and compassion. A heart that draws us in and a heart that we want to praise.

Seeking a New Life

Leprosy as described here can be any number of diseases. We often think of what today is called Hansen’s Disease but in the Bible leprosy could be any kind of skin disease from psoriasis to eczema to Hansen’s Disease even boils were called leprosy. These skin diseases resulted in the person being cut off from the community. According to Leviticus 13-14, the person diagnosed with various skin diseases were considered lepers. As a leper the person was ostracized for seven days to see if the condition would clear on its own. If not, then the person was considered unclean until the condition healed. According to Leviticus 13:45-46, the person with leprosy was to wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, and anytime a person approached they were to cover their upper lip with their hand and yell out “unclean, unclean” in order to keep the person away. Finally, the person with leprosy was to live outside the community. No human contact from family or friends. Alone. Isolated. Avoided. Only when the disease was healed could the person present themselves to the priest for divine declaration of being clean and rejoin his family and friends.

We have in our text, a leper who approaches Jesus. According to 1:39, Jesus is traveling throughout Galilee. It is probably one of these trips between villages that Jesus encounters this man. It is a straightforward story. The man seeks healing and Jesus heals him. But to see it only as a miracle account is to miss the bigger picture.

Notice the man’s statement of faith. “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” The words of a desperate man. We don’t know how long he has been living the life of the forgotten leper. Not able to work. Not able to provide for his family. Reminding any who got close that he was not one of them. But in his desperation he sought Jesus. Surely the point isn’t lost on us. Desperation is a wonderful thing when it drives us to find Jesus. We don’t want that place but that place is necessary for us to bow down in front of Jesus. For most of us desperation has never happened or if it did we tried to run from it or solve it as quickly as we could. No one wants desperation. That feeling of having no control and no options leaves us a bit unnerved. But it is in desperation that we run to the one who can solve things. This man recognized that Jesus could solve his problem. He also recognized that Jesus could choose not to. There is no demand here. There is a pleading. He has heard what Jesus has done for others.

The idea that God is obligated to do something for us that he has not obligated himself to do presumes upon God. Instead of healing (as God did with Paul), God’s solution in our desperation is strength. Instead of taking our desperation away, perhaps God uses you to reveal his goodness and mercy. Many have begged God for relief and release only to discover that his strength and his ways have provided more than they could have received if they had been healed. What is important is the man’s desire to be healed but his dependency and faith on God challenges us. If you are willing, suggests an understanding that Jesus may not be willing. In three short years, Jesus will plead for the same thing and hear God say “My will is not to relieve you of this death.” As people of faith, these are hard words to hear but words that need to be digested. We trust God to do what is best for us even if it means that our desperation turns to resolve to patiently wait for the final victory.

Jesus gives this man what he asks for, but Mark makes sure that we see the heart of God. Full of compassion. Not just another person. Not a quick look and a snap of the fingers. The text says he touched the man. To do so immediately made Jesus unclean; unless, of course, at the same time the man is no longer unclean. Conveyed in that touch was not just healing but a willingness to engage the man in his desperation. Did he smile? Did he speak in a soft voice? Did he shout it? Whatever it was, the man knew immediately that he had been given a new life. Jesus tells the man to show himself to the priest and to offer the required sacrifices for being made clean. After all, the sacrifices were designed for the person to acknowledge God’s work and be cleansed and without sin before God.

He Took Our Place

All of this is important as Mark announces the coming of the kingdom (1:15). The healing of a person with leprosy was akin to raising one from the dead. For one to do such a miracle would demonstrate with certainty that the person was from God. Only God could do such miracles. But there is something else that we need to see in this text.

This man was told to go show himself to the priest, to offer the appropriate sacrifices, and to keep his mouth shut. Two out of three ain’t bad. This man told everyone that he met what had happened to him and who was responsible. How could he be silent? I don’t blame the man. In most cases we want people to share in our good news. We want people to be aware of what God has done. But in this case the unintended consequences become a major obstacle for Jesus. Look at verse 45. “As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places.” Lonely places is the desert. Six times in this first chapter, Mark uses this same word—1:3, 1:4, 1:12, 1:13, 1:35, 1:45. The solitary place where one is lonely, desperate, and without aid from family and friends.

Do you see it? In order for the man to rejoin his family and community, Jesus took his place. Jesus ended up outside the community while the man rejoined his. Jesus took his place. Do you get it? Jesus had to take our sin in order for us to be in relationship with God. He took our place. This is the heart of God. Absorb Father’s heart. He took your place. This is the heart of compassion. This is the heart that sacrifices so that you can win. How do you respond to that kind of heart? The man had nothing to offer. Nor do we. The man was desperate. So are we. The man’s response was to tell about the heart of God. That’s ours too.

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