Made Clean and Whole by Faith (Luke 5:12-16)

“While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ And immediately the leprosy left him.” (Luke 5:12-13)

Leprosy is the symbol of fallen humanity because the severity and uncleanness of disease forbid having any fellowship in community even with families. This is the picture of lost race who is cut off from all access to the throne of grace. They couldn’t go to the synagogue, a shadow of meeting with the God of grace and mercy. They were cut off from all social activities. They were the outcast and abandoned.

“No one comes to the Father unless God draws them,” says Jesus (John 6:44). No one is righteous, not even one, says the Scripture. No one can escape the law of God and live. The whole race is under the yoke of the law which constantly condemns the hearts of the guilty.

However, when the man with leprosy pleaded mercy to Jesus Christ, he was immediately made clean and whole. Through the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the broken channel was fully restored and the flow of God’s abundant grace resumed from within like rivers of living water.

It is notably true that our God is pleased for man to reach to the point of total bankruptcy and impoverishment that they cannot do anything at all but plead mercy to the One who is eternally compassionate and merciful.

Our God is pleased to give mercy to the humble and poor in spirit even thousand times a day. He is just and faithful that He forgives our sins and cleanses from all unrighteousness if we admit our sins and faults honestly and realistically (1 John 1:9).

Whereas, what people value highly is detestable to God (Luke 16:15). There is no value found in man in the sight of God. “But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.” (John 2:24-25)

Therefore, this we shall do over and over: Delight our humiliation by admitting our mistakes and faults, ask mercy for God, knowing that it is the only way, and take it by faith that He has already made us clean and whole through the blood of Jesus Christ.

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2)

Chemistry of Life (Luke 5:20)

“When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’” (Luke 5:20)

Man shall live by faith. There is no other way to access life without faith. Hebrews Eleventh Chapter tells so aptly how significant faith is in the sight of God, the Giver of life, saying “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

It is impossible to please God without faith. Why shall we please God? It’s because He first loved us despite of our weaknesses that we could not but disobey Him. God is forever love. He loved to make an oath with Abraham who obeyed and went to the land of promise even though he didn’t know where he was going.

Man shall be forgiven. All is born in Adam. Fatal sicknesses in man are guilt, despair, and shame. No one has been taught to be guilt-ridden, depressed, and dishonorable. Man is born that way. Forgiveness is the most essential and indispensable part of life.

Human skills and achievements in various forms even the great fortunes and fame cannot get it over with. Things of the world seems offering much but delivers nothing. The world is in complete darkness and blindness.

God has been shining a great light out of dark world through the Son Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the light of the world. He came from the Father according to the scriptures and went back to the Father through the cross in Calvary according to the scriptures.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20-21)

The cross of Jesus is the offense of the world for it is the symbol of shame, guilt, and despair. He bore and died for all our weaknesses, transgressions, and sins. After three days of death and burial in the cold and lonely tomb, our Lord Jesus Christ rose again with the power of God.

Everything has completed for the redemption of man in Christ Jesus. Faith, yes only faith is the agent for this whole process: from the understanding of the love of God amply demonstrated on the cross to the acceptance of that love and the possession of eternal life.

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. ‘Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.’” (John 17:22-24)

God calls the children of light “friends.” Anyone who is in Christ is no longer enemy for they have been imparted eternal life and have crossed from death to life.

Oh, the Riches of God! (Mark 10:27)

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.’” (Mark 10:27)

All things are possible with God. Nothing is possible with man. This is a great life mystery. How deep, high, wide, and long it is! No one understands and fathoms its dimensions in full.

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments,

and his paths beyond tracing out!

‘Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?’

‘Who has ever given to God,

that God should repay them?’

For from him and through him and for him are all things.

To him be the glory forever! Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36)

The moment of finding out one thing is the breaking discovery of our folly and silliness because what people value highly is detestable in God’s sight. It has been that way over and over down through the generations after generations. The moment of boasting something is the realization of our complete humiliation and embarrassment. Humans do not understand themselves.

“The endless cycle of idea and action,
Endless invention, endless experiment,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;
Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.
All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance,
All our ignorance brings us nearer to death,
But nearness to death no nearer to GOD.
Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
The cycles of Heaven in twenty centuries
Bring us farther from GOD and nearer to the Dust.

– T. S. Elliot: The Rock

Human civilization and history amply demonstrate that it is true that we don’t understand ourselves. Scientific and technological enhancements and achievements are quite phenomenal but haven’t contributed at all in understanding the mystery of man. It’s all but trying after trying.

Why? It’s because they start approaching the matters with man. How can we break down the wall of conundrum? It is impossible with man but all things are possible with God. There is a God who knows all and who is all in all. He is the Creator of all things in heaven and on earth. Though He is invisible, He gave us the way to come to know Him. Jesus Christ is the way. He is the life and the truth.

Our God is the Lord of patience and faithfulness. His arms are wide open to accept anyone who comes to Him in the faith of the Jesus Christ. The basis of acceptance is solely on the blood of the Lamb of God who paid the price for the sin of the world in the past, the present, and the future. Bearing our sins, He was cut off even from the Father.

Jesus though He was the Son, He went back to the Father through the way of bloody cross. He took up the enormous pains and agonies of sin upon Himself in order to open the way to the Father. This is the way to understand humanity and its mystery.

The mystery of man is this: man is fallen and lost and destined to death and judgment, a Mediator has come to seek and save the lost through His death, burial, and resurrection, he has been made alive through the faith in the work of another, and Christ lives in him forever.

The new covenant has been arranged with anyone who is in Jesus Christ because a new life has been given to him. The old has gone and the new is here! The life received is the resurrection life of Jesus Christ.

It’s eternal life! It never goes dry at all. It overflows out of rivers of living water from within. That life is available for anyone to take it by faith for He indwells within forever.

God is forever love without the shadow of turning. He does not change His mind to forgive anyone who confess his sins for He is just and faithful and cleanses from all unrighteousness.

The basis of repentance is plain: God loved us first. He loved us first when we were still sinners, so we love Him back. Loving God is to obey His words, giving even a cup of cold water to the needy. God promised such a person will not lose his reward.

“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward." (Matthew 10:42)

The reward is to bear the fruits of righteousness and the Spirit. Love, joy, and peace will blossom and never disappear from within. No one can measure the depth, height, length, and width of love, joy, and peace for they are eternal.

That’s why Paul praises God, saying “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” May the riches of God be filled and rooted in our hearts!