Then a man with leprosy came to him and, on his knees, begged him, 

"If you are willing, you can make me clean."

Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him.

"I am willing,"

 he told him. 

"Be made clean."

Mark 1:40-41 CSB

Not sure why there was only healing for those who found Jesus, why there wasn't some global phenomenon where there was no more illness because Jesus was now one of us.

But there wasn't.

So much of God was constrained and made small, and Jesus only seemed to heal those he had personal contact with. 

What we do know is that Jesus is moved with compassion when he sees this person. 

He reaches over the religious and cultural taboo of not touching someone with a skin disease and touches him anyway.

The word here for moved with compassion is "splagchnizomai" which includes a physical response...this is just an idea that something is wrong with the world, this is not just an emotional response to seeing someone's suffering, but a whole person response. Jesus feels for this person body mind and spirit, and acts.

And this is the hope that we hold, that the Jesus who moved and acted in this person's life, when he says he is coming again, to make all things new, to gather up all our tears, that will happen.

May this small story speak life and hope to us today.

#gospelofMark #GoodNews

#hope

#onedayallwillbemadenew