Mark Vol. 1 - Week 5 (1:35-45)
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This week marks the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday, February 14. Ash Wednesday and Lent are part of the traditional church calendar, where the 40 days of Lent (excluding Sundays) are symbolic of Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness, creating a road that leads to Easter. Ashes are a biblical symbol of mourning and grief, so the purpose of Ash Wednesday is to remind us of the severity of our sins and our need for God’s grace. We’ll get to celebrating the cross come Easter, but the purpose of Lent for us is surrender and reminders of God’s mercy, despite our sins. Traditionally, during an Ash Wednesday service, you will go forward and have the cross written on your forehead in ashes. Our sending church did this every year, and it was a beautiful reminder of our sin, our need for a savior, and God’s abundant grace despite our rebellion. “Lent is about confessing our ongoing battle with sin” and “willingly and joyfully letting go of things in this world that have too much of a hold on us.”1 Through this sacrifice, we can acknowledge to the Lord that He is in control of our lives. As an example, every Lent I give up secular music for the 40 days leading up to Easter, listening only to worship music. I’ve found it to be very restful for my soul and shifts my heart in worship to Him, rather than worldly things. We would encourage you and your people to pray about and consider what in this world might have a hold of your heart and what could be given up for the next 40 days.
Mark 1:35-45
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The Compassionate King
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Mark 1:35-45 〰️ The Compassionate King 〰️
In Mark 1:35-45, we read of Jesus performing yet another miracle, but there's this hard stop in Mark's writing before getting there. In v35-37, Mark writes that in the morning, Jesus "got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place and there he was praying. And when they found him they said, 'Everyone is looking for you.'" We can note two things from this: firstly, Jesus, the Son of God, took time away for silence and solitude to commune and be with the Father. If we go back a few verses, we see that "The whole town was assembled at the door" where Jesus was staying (v33). After being surrounded by people and pouring out of himself, Jesus withdrew. We see this in multiple places in the Gospels as Jesus would live in this rhythm of miraculous works followed by retreating to be alone with God (Matthew 14:23, Mark 6:46, Luke 5:16, and more).
This is one of Jesus' practices that the early church took seriously as a spiritual practice. They, just like Jesus, understood that to know the Lord's voice, we have to take time to be with Him and listen. There is a level of spiritual restoration, rest for the soul, and hearing from the Lord that can only happen when we sit in silence with God, resting in Him. Secondly, we read that the disciples, when they saw Jesus, said, "Everyone is looking for you" (v37). This isn't the only time those closest to Jesus don't "get it." At multiple points in the Gospels, Jesus teaches or performs a miracle with implications that go over the heads of those nearest to him. The underlying reality for us to see here is this: being close to Jesus doesn't equal understanding or faith.
Moving forward in the passage, we see Jesus have this encounter with a man with leprosy. Those savvy with the Old Testament might remember the Law of Moses, which has strict laws regarding handling one who contracts leprosy. Leprosy is an incredibly contagious disease, and Leviticus 13 outlines these specific laws with the underlying symbolism of leprosy representing sin. Leviticus 13:46 says that a person with leprosy "...shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp." During this time, the presence of God literally dwelled on earth in the midst of the Israelite camp, and leprosy, symbolic of sin, separates a person from others and the Lord.
With this in mind, we encounter the story of the leprous man who approached Jesus. In v38, Jesus tells His disciples of the reason He came, and Mark immediately follows it with the story of Jesus healing a man separated by leprosy, the disease symbolic of sin to the Jewish people. We don't have much information about him here other than that he came to Jesus, fell to his knees, and asked for mercy. The leprous man said to Jesus, "If you are willing, you can make me clean" (v40). This man's faith in who Jesus is is remarkable here for us. Only twice in the Old Testament does God cleanse a leper (Numbers 12:10-15; 2 Kings 5:1-14).² Leprosy was regarded as an incurable disease, but this man believed our Lord could do the impossible. Jesus responds, saying, "I am willing...be made clean" (v41). Here, we see this shift from the old law of performing rituals to receive cleansing and forgiveness to Jesus healing a ritually unclean person because of his faith in the Lord.
This brings us to the climax of Jesus' arrival and ministry. No longer are healing and salvation earned through obedience in the form of religious ritual. Faith is now the catalyst, through God's saving grace, to eternal life and salvation in Him. "For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift— not from works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). So we have this chain of events in this passage that shows us the purpose of Jesus' first coming:
Jesus came to teach the good news: salvation comes through Him (v15).
Jesus tells his disciples, "This is why I have come" (v38).
Jesus heals a man of a disease that visibly and physically represents sin to their culture based on faith rather than works (v40-42).
As we jump into discussion this week, we'll look a little at the history of the Levitical Law and what leprosy meant for individuals and Israelite culture. We'll read a part of Leviticus 13 and compare it to how sin is viewed as equally separating and isolating. The details in the preceding verses of Leviticus 13 are a bit graphic. But we'll bypass those for the sake of getting to the social and religious consequences of contracting leprosy, comparing them to that of sin and how it separates us from God and from others.
Key Terms and Doctrine
Salvation through faith
Salvation through faith is the doctrine that salvation from the Lord comes through faith rather than merit (works). Many times in the Gospels, we get an explanation of why Jesus came to this world. Everyone's favorite Bible verse, John 3:16, says, "Everyone who believes in [Jesus] will not perish but have eternal life." But it gets even better in v18a: "Anyone who believes in him is not condemned..." That's it. The sole requirements for salvation from our Lord are faith and belief. The Old Testament law required repeated ritual sacrifices to be clean before God, but now, for those who believe in Christ, righteousness is granted through faith. This is entirely a gift of grace and mercy from the Lord, nothing of our own doing (Eph. 2:8-9).
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from the passage?
What are some repeating words, phrases, or concepts in this passage?
Does anything in this passage remind you of another part of Scripture?
Why do you think Jesus went to be alone with God and pray?
What is the significance of Jesus going off to a deserted place to pray?
Read Leviticus 13:45-46. What were the consequences for an individual who contracted leprosy? What would it have meant for him or her?
How does leprosy serve as a parallel to our sin?
In verse Mark 1:38, Jesus said he came to preach the good news and immediately healed a man with a disease known to represent sin. What do you think Mark is trying to show us here?
What's significant about the way the leprous man asked for healing?
Read Ephesians 2:8-9. How does it comfort you to know that salvation comes through faith rather than works?
1. Paul David Tripp, Journey To The Cross (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Publishing, 2021), 9.
2. John D. Grassmick, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 111.