GEOFF'S DEVOTIONAL MUSINGS

Mark Chapter 1 v 35 -39
What a night. You certainly deserved a lay-in. I would imagine that You and Your disciples were exhausted with all the people crowding around the house and with all the amazing things that had been happening. But as they slept – so You rose before dawn, left the house where You were staying and went off to a solitary place to pray. We can sometimes get so involved in things, so busy, that we forget to pray – to our own cost. And yet You never once forgot that special relationship with Your Father.
Having given out all day and then all night as well You spent time soaking up that relationship – recharging as it were Your spiritual batteries. There is a lesson for us all to learn here. We marvel at the teaching, we marvel at the miracles, but do we pray? Your life was in perfect balance with Your heavenly Father.
When they finally awoke and discovered that You were missing, they came searching for You, and finally when they found You they urged You to come back to the town because word had spread and everyone wanted a piece of the action. But Your agenda was already fixed by Your Father and there was no room to be controlled by crowds marching to another tune. “Let’s go somewhere else”. And so many others were able to hear Your teaching and preaching and be touched by Your power.
Mark Chapter 1 v 40 – 42
What a fallen world we live in. Everywhere we look there are problems and lots of these concern our health. Already we have seen in the first few verses of Mark that You had a compassion for those who were sick, and this case is no exception. Leprosy was a disease that struck fear into people’s hearts to such an extent that the leper was shunned by society. In many cases lepers would be kept outside the towns or banished to the wilderness places to fend for themselves, often only with other lepers for company.
So maybe it was on one of those journeys travelling from one Galilean town to another to preach the Good News of the kingdom that You came across this leper. I can imagine the disciples withdrawing in horror as this man approached You and fell on his knees at Your feet. He wasn’t begging for money but for healing. He pleaded to be transferred from an outcast to an ordinary member of society and he had seen in You the potential for that to happen. Had Your father drawn him to You? Nothing ever happens by chance and You were always prepared for each encounter because You allowed Yourself to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Were You willing? Of course You were: and filled with compassion You reached out and touched the man. I can almost hear the audible gasps from the disciples as they recoiled in horror. No one, just no one touches a leper.
But You did, and in an instant he was healed. Immediately the leprosy left him. But I’m sure it wasn’t just the cause of leprosy that You healed but its effects as well. I’m sure before their eyes the disciples saw the missing flesh restored and the skin once more take on a glow of health.
“If you are willing?” – of course You are.
Mark Chapter 1 v 43 – 44
The Old Testament Law of Moses made provision for the restoration of someone with leprosy and it involved showing themselves to a priest to check their healing and also bring a sacrifice to say thanks to God. And so it was natural for the man to abide by the law. However, it was probably such a rare event that the priests were glad that they didn’t have to do this task, after all, leprosy was a feared disease. It was only natural to say thank you in the proper way but that man had other ideas. Despite a strong warning from You not to talk about this dramatic healing he couldn’t wait to tell others.
If it happened today I’m sure it wouldn’t be long before the media got involved and people would come streaming to the place of healing. But You said ‘don’t tell anyone’. It made sense really. As soon as the man left You, instead of being grateful and going to the Temple to give thanks, he ran off and told everybody he met what had happened to him.
I can see why he did it. I probably would have done the same.
But it hindered Your ministry as crowds were drawn like a magnet and it wasn’t long before there were so many people crowding around waiting to see more miracles that it actually hindered Your ministry. People had come to see the miracle but You knew that they needed to discover You, not just a quick fix for a problem.