from the Bible

THE ANATOMY OF A HEALING

MARK 1:35-45 THE ANATOMY OF A HEALING

A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick

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Introduction:

After a successful day of ministry, Jesus gets up early to pray.

A. Amazing! Jesus prayed, denoting His humanity and dependance on the Father - an example for us to follow.

B. We pray before events, such as: dinner, a game, church service, taking a long trip; why did Jesus pray after a day of ministry, and what was the result? Simply this, that when popular demand came knocking, He was able to keep His focus, keep on track, and continue His mission.

C. It's also obvious here that Jesus' ministry cannot be contained in a particular location.

D. But here we want to focus on this healing of the leper.

I. The Disease - Leprosy
A. Notice, the afflicted man asks for cleansing, rather than healing.
- This is the Old Testament understanding, as seen in the laws given by Moses;

- "unclean" suggests a philosophy of personal responsibility;

- sin is like leprosy in that it too needs cleansing;

* Lesson: One lesson is that when we are ill, we must ask, "What is my responsibility?" We are not to assume guilt, but be willing to ask the question, according to James 5.

B. Leprosy represents what was thought to be an incurable disease, perhaps analogous to AIDS.

* Lesson: God's intervention is not designed to provide carefree existence.

II. The Prayer
A. The leper comes begging on his knees, a posture of worship and desperation.

* Lesson: How important is your request?

B. The man understood that God's will is a deciding factor - is it always His will to heal?

* Lesson: Be in submission to what God wants.

III. The Healing
A. Jesus was motivated by compassion..

B. He healed the man by touching him, but what about the danger of contamination?

* Lesson: Are we willing to touch others? Even if they have AIDS?

C. The healing was to be Verified by the experts; this was not a mind trick, just denying the symptoms.

* Lesson: When healed, give witness to the medical profession.

Conclusion:
The testimony was difficult to hold in. Why did Jesus instruct this man not to tell anyone? Was this a case of reverse psychology? Was Jesus trying to keep His Messianic identity a secret? More likely, He was not wanting the popularity to get in the way of His mission, not wanting to draw too much attention and stir up untimely opposition.

* Lesson: Give open testimony with discretion, being led by the Spirit.

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