“I Am Willing, Be Clean!” (Mark 1:40–45)

 

“I Am Willing, Be Clean!” (Mark 1:40–45)

Jesus got up early in the morning while it was still dark and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Jesus was always in the Father, and the Father was in the Son (John 17:21). Prayer is like breathing. It is a pathway to communicate with God. It is an honest conversation that acknowledges the Word of God, as demonstrated between God and Adam after the fall in Genesis 3. Prayer is about asking that not my will, but God's will be done. Prayer is also asking God to forgive our enemies.

Daniel prayed to God, asking Him to bring the Israelites back to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity, just as the prophet Jeremiah had spoken. In the same way, believers are called to be coworkers with God through prayer. Jesus always prayed while He was on earth and offered Himself—His very body—to do the work of God the Father, even to the point of death on the cross.

However, while the disciples were pleased that Jesus' fame was spreading, Jesus didn’t follow their desires. He obeyed the will of His Father in heaven and went on to teach in other villages. Jesus came to this world as the suffering servant. Though the disciples initially struggled to accept Him, eventually, they came to receive Him as the Messiah revealed in the Scriptures.

In Mark 1:40–45, Jesus had compassion on a man with leprosy and made him clean.

A man with leprosy comes and begs on his knees

40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. (Mark 1:40–42)

A man with leprosy came and fell on his knees before Jesus and begged Him. Leprosy was a terrifying and incurable disease. It was even called a divine punishment. The flesh would rot, and the body would become deformed—so much so that eventually the person was unrecognizable. Though it has been removed from the official list of diseases by the UN, leprosy was once a fearful illness, requiring isolation from society. In the movie Ben-Hur, there is a heartbreaking scene where Judah’s mother and sister, having contracted leprosy, live in a cave, shunned from the society.

Everything God created has a purpose. All creation reveals His power, glory, and majesty—whether it be the solar system, the earth, the seas, the animals, grain, vegetables, fruit, or even microorganisms like bacteria. Sunlight and rain are sources of energy for all things. Plants like grains and vegetables are essential. Microorganisms, while some cause illness, also benefit the body by aiding digestion, strengthening the immune system, and breaking down harmful substances.

Leprosy is especially mentioned in the Law as a defiling and unclean disease. Those afflicted were to live outside the camp. They had to tear their clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face, and cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” (Leviticus 13:45–46). Miriam, the sister of Moses, criticized him for marrying a Cushite woman and questioned why God only spoke through Moses (Numbers 12:1–2). The Lord became angry and struck her with leprosy (Numbers 12:10).

In Korea, there’s an island called Sorokdo, where people with leprosy used to live together. When I was in middle school, I went there for a summer retreat. The island was divided into two zones—one for less severe cases and one for more severe cases. Most visitors stayed in the mild zone. I remember there were seven churches on the island. We worshiped on a Wednesday evening in the church located in the more severe patient area. As a teenage boy, I was overwhelmed by the disfigured appearances of the severely ill—missing eyes, collapsed noses, and distorted mouths. I couldn’t even look straight at them. Many of them were blind, so they had memorized large portions of the Bible and hymns. The sound of their singing was powerful and awe-inspiring.

The leper in Mark 1 wasn’t supposed to come near Jesus—it was forbidden by the Law. Yet he approached, knelt, and pleaded for mercy. Jesus did not scold him or send him away for breaking the Law. Instead, He accepted him just as he was. God’s compassion and mercy go far beyond the boundaries of the Law. In the same way, God wants anyone—even a leper—to come before Him and plead just as they are.

Jesus Came to Seek and Save the Lost

That’s why God sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world. Consider the story of Zacchaeus. He was a tax collector, regarded as a public sinner. He couldn’t go to the synagogue and was treated by his fellow Jews as a traitor—worse than a dog. The way to come to God seemed blocked for him. Though he wasn’t physically afflicted with leprosy, spiritually he was like a leper.

One day, he wanted to see who Jesus was. But because he was short and there was a crowd, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him (Luke 19:2–3). Jesus looked up at him and said, “Come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” Because Jews did not associate with tax collectors, the crowd muttered, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner” (Luke 19:7). But Jesus’ gracious mercy and love became glory and joy to Zacchaeus, who had lived in loneliness and despair like a leper. In this way, Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:9–10)

In Adam, all people are like lepers—defiled by sin. As a result, the path to the Holy God is blocked. We are under the power of sin and death, living in ignorance and darkness. People groan in loneliness and alienation under the heavy burden of guilt and oppression.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. (Romans 1:21–23)

The Hope of Humanity Is in Christ Jesus Alone

Yet, even in all these hopeless situations, there is hope. That hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. News about Jesus teaching in the synagogues, healing the sick, and driving out demons had reached this man with leprosy. A ray of hope shone into his soul. In the midst of misery, a spark of faith and expectation began to grow in him—faith in Jesus’ power and authority to heal. Moreover, Jesus was known as the one who did not turn anyone away but received and cared for those who came to him. He is full of compassion and mercy.

Jesus came to seek and save the lost—just like this man with leprosy. God shines the light of salvation brightly into the world through Jesus Christ. For this purpose, Jesus opened his mouth and went from village to village teaching the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. He healed people with various diseases and drove out impure spirits with his word. Just like that, God seeks those who are hiding from his presence and calls out, “Where are you?” (cf. Gen. 3:9).

The man with leprosy was drawn by the loving hand of God. He came and fell on his knees before Jesus and begged him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean” (Mark 1:40). Though he had leprosy, he believed that if Jesus was willing, he could make him clean. He sought mercy, just as he was. He came to Jesus with nothing to offer, just as he was.

“I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”

Jesus accepted him just as he was and was filled with compassion for him (cf. Korean Bible, NET, ESV). The word translated “had compassion” carries the idea of deeply identifying with another’s pain. However, the NIV translates it: “Jesus was indignant” (Mark 1:41). This does not mean Jesus was angry at the man, but rather angry at the situation—that someone made in God’s image was bound under the curse of sin.

God is a God of compassion and mercy. Throughout the Law, we are repeatedly told to care for the widow and the orphan (Deuteronomy 14:29; 26:12; Isaiah 1:17). This reflects God’s heart of mercy. It’s like the urgency a parent feels when a child is in danger.

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” (Mark 1:41). Jesus could have healed him with a word alone, but instead, he touched him. God does not break a bruised reed or snuff out a smoldering wick. He is rich in mercy and compassion (cf. Isaiah 42:3). Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed (Mark 1:42). This is God’s heart. God desires to set free those who groan under the power of sin and death and to give them true life. This heart of God remains the same yesterday and today and forever.

No matter what our condition or circumstance, if we come before God just as we are and ask for mercy, he will cleanse us with his love.

God forgave and cleansed King David even after his double sin. That’s because David came before the Lord with a broken and contrite heart and asked for mercy (Psalm 51:17). Jesus had compassion on the woman caught in adultery and did not condemn her but made her clean (John 8:11). In the same way, God had such great compassion for us that he gave his Son Jesus Christ—even to death on the cross (Romans 5:8).

There is no other way to be cleansed from sin except through the blood of Jesus Christ. Without the forgiveness of sins, there is no life—only trouble and affliction. Therefore, God was pleased to crush his Son as a guilt offering (Isaiah 53:10). Through his Son Jesus Christ, God clearly showed and proved his compassionate love to the whole world.

The apostle Paul describes how powerful and sovereign God’s love is. No evil or lying spirit in this world can separate us from God’s love, and no hardship or pain or trouble can overcome it.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)

“Show yourself to the priest”

Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” (Mark 1:43–44)

Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. (Mark 1:45)

Jesus strictly warned the man who had been cleansed not to tell anyone. This was because people might misunderstand and think Jesus came only to heal physical diseases. But Jesus’ healing ministry was closely connected to the forgiveness of sins—something that can only happen through his blood. The healing of the leper was a picture of how Jesus, through his blood, cleanses people who have been rejected, trapped in sin, and unable to enter God’s grace—and leads them into the kingdom of heaven.

Instead, Jesus told him to show himself to the priest and offer the gifts Moses commanded as a testimony. Leviticus 14 describes the offerings and procedures required after a person with leprosy is cleansed. In the Old Testament, the only recorded case of healing from leprosy was that of Naaman, a Syrian army commander (2 Kings 5). If this man had gone to the priest, it would have been the first time the Mosaic Law was applied to someone healed of leprosy. It would have served as a witness to the priests that the Messiah sent by God was among them.

However, the man disobeyed Jesus’ command and spread the news widely. Because of this, Jesus could no longer enter towns openly but stayed in lonely places. Even so, people came to him from every direction.

After being made clean, we must continue to live in obedience to Jesus’ words. That is how we rightly receive and live out God’s grace.

Our Lord Jesus Christ earnestly desires that, no matter what desperate situation we may be in, we come before him and be made clean and whole.

Amen!

July 27, 2025
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Scripture quotes are from the NIV.