And as soon as He had spoke, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. Mark 1:42
I have a small scar on my upper arm; most people my age have a similar scar; it is the scar from a smallpox vaccination. The vaccination program that was initiated to eradicate smallpox was apparently a success, with the World Health Organization certifying its eradication in 1979. The disease had been around for a long time, with evidence of it on the mummies in ancient Egyptian tombs. It killed millions of people during the centuries, and blinded millions more. Half a million people died of smallpox every year in the late 1800s, including at least five kings or queens in Europe. Efforts to eradicate it were long, complicated, and expensive. But smallpox is now no longer a danger to mankind. How much different was the way in which the Lord Jesus banished leprosy in the case that came before Him in today’s text!
Our text speaks of the healing of a man with the incurable filthy disease of leprosy. No medicine was effective against it, no treatment was available to alleviate its symptoms or prevent its spread. And yet, when Jesus spoke, leprosy had to flee, just like the demons that Jesus cast out of others that day. His amazing authority extended to unseen spirits and invisible microbes. His power was absolute over all of creation. And His desire was that the suffering caused to humanity because of our own sins would be replaced with blessing. With His word, a man’s leprosy was gone. With His word from the cross – It is finished – our sins were paid for and our salvation purchased. With His word today, our earthly afflictions and burdens are cast upon Him.
We appreciate too little the power the Lord Jesus has over all of creation, over all of our circumstances, and over all of mankind’s situations. Nothing is beyond His reach or capability. When we come to Him today with a problem that seems almost as big as the leper’s illness, do we appreciate His ability to meet our need? In His will and wisdom, He has allowed some of His saints to suffer much, although He has felt every throb of pain and the sting of every tear. But even in His denial of release from suffering, He has offered the consolation of His presence and the promise of eternal rest and comfort.
He is able. Let us never lose sight of Jesus’ capability of meeting our needs, and His desire to do so. -Jim MacIntosh