THE GOSPELS: LESSON 26: TWO HEALING MIRACLES

TEXT: MARK 1: 40 - 45; LUKE 5: 12 - 16. AND MARK 2: 1 - 13; LUKE 5: 16 - 26

MIRACLE ONE: HEALING OF THE FAITHFUL LEPER.

          We will take our text from Mark 1: 40 - 45.

Verse 40: Notice the attitude of the leper: “If thou will, thou can make me clean.”

Verse 41: Jesus was moved with compassion. If we are truly Christian this will also be our response to true human suffering. Two sources of suffering Jesus witnessed: physical ailments and the results of sinful living. Jesus did not waste much pity on the second group.

When Jesus says, “I will, be clean,” what is he saying to us?

Verse 42: Notice the nature of the healing: immediate and complete. Not like today’s so-called faith healers.

Verses 43, 44: Why would Jesus charge this man NOT to tell of this miracle to any other man? Perhaps Jesus did not want to be just a “faith healer.” His message went far deeper than that.

For the process followed after a healing of leprosy in the Old Law, see Lev. 13: 1 - 6.

Here is a description of a leper given in ancient times, which might apply to this poor man “full of leprosy.”

          The face resembles a coal half extinct, unctuous, shining, and bloated, with frequent hard knobs, green at bottom, and white at top. The hair is short, stiff, and brinded; and not to be torn off, without bringing away, some of the rotten flesh, to which it adheres; if it grows again, either on the head or chin, it is always white: athwart the forehead, run large wrinkles or furrows, from one temple to the other; the eyes red and inflamed, and shine like those of a cat; the ears swollen and red, eaten with ulcers towards the bottom, and encompassed with little glands; the nose sunk, because of the rotting of the cartilage; the tongue dry and black, swollen, ulcerated, divided with furrows, and spotted with grains of white; the skin covered with ulcers, that die and revive on each other, or with white spots, or scales like a fish; it is rough and insensible, and when cut, instead of blood, yields a sanious liquor: it arrives in time to such a degree of insensibility, that the wrist, feet, or even the large tendon, may be pierced with a needle, without the patient's feeling any pain; at last the nose, fingers, toes, and even privy members, fall off entire; and by a death peculiar to each of them, anticipate that of the patient: it is added, that the body is so hot, that a fresh apple held in the hand an hour, will be dried and wrinkled, as if exposed to the sun for a week . Think now what a miserable deplorable object this man was, said to be full of it. (From John Gill’s Bible Commentary)

Verse 45: The healed man went out (probably from the synagogue, since it was Jesus’ custom to teach there) and immediately began to “blaze abroad the matter.” By the way, lepers WERE allowed to go to the synagogue, provided the following procedure was followed: “if a leper enters into a synagogue, they make for him a partition ten hands high, and four cubits broad; he enters in first, and goes out last.” (From Gill’s.)

MIRACLE TWO: HEALING OF THE MAN WITH PALSY

          We will take our text from Luke 5: 16 - 26.

Verse 16: As Jesus often did, he withdrew from the press of the multitudes so he could be alone to commune with God in prayer.

Verse 17: Notice who was there at this healing: all the Jewish sceptics and bigwigs from all the towns in Judea and Galilee, including Jerusalem. Why would they be present? Either to see if they could trip him up and entrap him in a breach of the Law, or because they too were caught up in the excitement of a great healing prophet who had arisen. After all, no prophet had worked miracles in Israel for over 400 years.

Verse 18: This palsy appears to be polio, or something very like it. Polio shrivels the limbs, and can result in eventual stoppage of the breathing and death. This was obviously a very advanced case, if the man was completely bed-ridden. This man had some good friends, to carry him to Jesus.

Verses 19, 20: These were determined men! They removed the clay tiles from the roof and let their friend down into the house where Jesus was teaching, so he would be sure to see him! Jesus was impressed, and immediately healed him with the words, “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.”

Verse 21: The scribes and Pharisees considered Jesus statement blasphemous. What is blasphemy? Blasphemy is speaking evil or untruthfully about God and his nature, power, or identity. It was one of the sins for which the death penalty was allowed under the Law of Moses.

Verses 22 - 24: Jesus used this healing and his words as a “teachable moment” for the hard-hearted Jewish rulers. What did he want them to understand? That he was the Messiah and the Son of God and therefore had the power to forgive sins.

Verse 25: Here again, notice the immediacy and completeness of Jesus’ miracle. This is one of the main reasons why I reject modern day healers. Their “miracles” are slow and never complete.

Verse 26: The result of the miracle: people glorified God. Why did Jesus do so many miracles? To impress upon the people that he was both Lord and Christ, and therefore they must listen to his message.

Return to Gospels Main Selection Page