In the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel, there’s an encounter recorded that Jesus had with an unidentified man with leprosy – one that’s easy to overlook. The story’s brevity and its proximity to other healings can unconsciously promote seeing it as just another example of Jesus being Jesus. Granted, it was a miraculous event, but for those following Jesus (and for us reading about Him), miraculous healings were virtually commonplace. That makes it easy to slip past another one and not realize we’re missing something. But there’s more going on here than we think. 

A Missing Element ~
There’s an incredibly powerful element involved that for most of my life, I never considered. What we often miss is the drama. Without it, we can read past the story of Jesus and the leper totally unaware of the intense soul-stirring, life-changing drama playing out on that dusty Galilean road. 

The term “drama” has such a secular connotation that we rarely consider it in the context of Jesus’ life and ministry. But the truth is that drama has been a compelling force in every culture throughout human history. That’s because life is full of it. Every day, the world confronts human beings like us with events and circumstances that call forth the deepest and most powerful passions we’re capable of. Situations arise that awaken forces in us we didn’t know existed and drive us beyond what we thought were the limits of our endurance. Ordinary people just like us have risen up against impossible odds and won victories against foes thought to be invincible. Ignominious defeats have been turned into victories that changed the course of history. Drama is powerful. It happens to real people in real world situations, and we can’t get enough of it. 

We Want More ~
Our insatiable desire for it is rooted in our refusal to be content to just hear a story. We want more than that. We want to be part of it. We want to be there and feel what it was like. We want the experience without the painful consequences. And God made it possible, in a sense, to do just that. He gave us minds that can translate words into scenes. We can insert ourselves vicariously into situations and circumstances without physically being present. That enables the drama of life to live beyond the moment. And it’s in that realm where we expose ourselves to some of the most powerful lessons we ever encounter. And it’s that capacity that makes Mark’s simple story come to life in a way I had been missing. So, let’s get on with the story . . . 

Mark sets the scene with a single sentence. It includes the primary elements and introduces the characters, but not in a grab-your-heart-from-the-start kind of way that some stories do. The text simply says:

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” (Mark 1:40 NKJV)

Filling in Some Blanks ~
The exchange that followed is equally concise, and in the context of Jesus’ usual practices, not really unexpected and not all that dramatic. We know the man approaching Jesus is a leper, but most of us don’t have a clue what that really meant to those experiencing the moment. We know that in those days, leprosy was a dreaded and incurable disease, but we don’t know much more than that. And though we don’t know anything else for sure about this unnamed man, the culture of the day allows some assumptions. For one thing, he appears to be an adult. That would mean that, like most adult Jewish men, he was very likely married, or had been. It’s also likely that he had children and some kind of income producing work. Life for him may have been stable, though hard, and reasonably happy. But then something happened.

Perhaps he noticed an unusual place on his body, his arm, for instance. It was probably not alarming at first and nothing to be concerned about. But time went by and it didn’t get better. Eventually his wife noticed it, and when she discovered that it had been there for a while, she might have said, “The Word of God is clear about things like this. You must go and show it to the priests. If it is nothing, they’ll tell you, but if it’s something of concern, we need to know.” So he reluctantly submits and goes to be examined.

A Dreaded Diagnosis ~
The priests aren’t sure what it is, so according to Levitical law they direct him to leave his house and remain isolated outside the town for seven days. After that, there’s another examination and the priests still aren’t sure, so he’s banished for another seven days – and then another. As the days in isolation dragged on, the fear and anxiety made the loneliness more torturous. Finally, the priest declares that it’s leprosy and judgment was immediately imposed. 

He couldn’t go home to say goodbye to his wife. He couldn’t hug his children. He could never again share a home with them, pray with them, and enjoy Shabbat dinners together. Beyond that, people would assume that the leprosy was a curse from God for some awful hidden sin. They would shun him as one rejected by God, unacceptable in society. From that day onward, he was required to cover his face and scream “Unclean, Unclean!” if anyone came near him. He was a person just like us, with a life as important to him as ours is to us. The utter hopelessness engulfing him was as real as anything we feel in our lives today. 

A Glimmer of Hope ~
But at some point in this dark night of his life, someone lit a tiny candle of hope. Someone, perhaps another leper, heard about an incredible Rabbi from Nazareth who had the power to heal. But even if it were true, getting to him would demand that this leper risk everything. Approaching anyone in public, especially a Rabbi, could cost him his life. But utter despair and desperation can become a wellspring of unconquerable courage, and with nothing left to lose, he set out to find this healer.

Now if that’s not enough dramatic undercurrent, Mark’s continued exchange between them unveils more. He said:

Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” (Mark 1:41 NKJV)

It’s hard for us to imagine the shock people would have been feeling as they witnessed this dramatic exchange. It was unimaginable that a leper would come into a public place and approach anyone, much less a Rabbi. But when Jesus saw him, He didn’t recoil as most would have. That’s because He didn’t just “see” him. He was moved with compassion. Jesus put Himself in this unknown leper’s place and allowed Himself to feel what it was like to be him – and He embraced it all.

Drama’s Finest Moment ~
Then, to add to the shock engulfing those around Him, Jesus was about to do something unthinkable. The drama was inexpressible as this unclean, rejected, diseased outcast, this definition of hopelessness and despair, knelt before the living embodiment of God’s love, grace, and incomprehensible power. With only five words and one touch, jaws dropped, breaths were drawn, and transforming power was unleashed that set glory ablaze to shine like the noonday sun. But . . . we mustn’t miss this drama’s finest moment that Mark delivered with just one brief statement:

As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. (Mark 1:42 NKJV)

Remember, they didn’t have special effects in those days, so no one had seen the kinds of fake things we can portray in our day. As they stood there and watched, leprous skin was transformed immediately – no waiting, no manipulations, no applications, no rituals, just five words and a touch. Can you imagine what it was like for that man, and for those who saw it? Can you feel the drama that permeated that scene? Does it not make your heart want to explode?! And doesn’t it make serving a King like that worth everything?

Maybe someone you know isn’t a 1st Century leper, but they’ve lost hope and don’t know where to turn. So what if you and I brought some “Jesus drama” to life for them? And what if we lit a candle of hope in their dark world?  Yes, we know that He is still here – and yes, He’s still saying, “I’m willing.”  He’s still touching the untouchable, healing the incurable, and creating drama that Hollywood producers can’t begin to touch. So, let’s follow His footsteps, join the stories, embrace the drama, and help set hope ablaze in this dark and desperate world.     

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the pull quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .

• • When He saw him, Jesus didn’t recoil as most would have. That’s because He didn’t just “see” him. He was moved with compassion. Jesus put Himself in this unknown leper’s place and allowed Himself to feel what it was like to be him – and He embraced it all. GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
  • The drama was inexpressible as this unclean, rejected, diseased outcast, this definition of hopelessness and despair, knelt before the living embodiment of God’s love, grace, and incomprehensible power. GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
  • With only five words and one touch, jaws dropped, breaths were drawn, and transforming power was unleashed that set glory ablaze to shine like the noonday sun. But we mustn’t miss this drama’s finest moment that Mark delivered with one brief statement. GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  

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