I end up hearing a lot of medical jargon. When I’m visiting
with someone in the hospital or discussing concerns about a family member or
following up on a medical procedure, people will share the details of what they
are going through; and often those details include technical terms, phrases and
lingo. If you have dealt with a medical issue in the past, you know how this
happens—you soak up everything the doctor says, follow up with your own
research; and suddenly, you know a whole lot more about something you had never
heard of before. In talking and praying with folks, they frequently share those
insights with me.
Unfortunately, I have no medical background whatsoever. So,
when people start talking about this or that –itis or
carcino-something-or-other or a blockage in the who-dat thingy, I smile, nod
along and simply just let it all go past me. I’m aware that I won’t follow
everything, and so I willingly let some things just pass me by.
A misunderstanding of Scripture (and simple laziness) can
lead us down that same pathway. Biblical readers know that there will be plenty
in the Bible that we cannot grasp fully—after all, God’s Word is infinitely
deep in revealing an infinite God who loves us infinitely. Trying to capture
all of that when one is reading or studying the Bible is hard to do! But,
sometimes that makes us lazy—we assume that we won’t be able to understand
everything; therefore, we don’t even notice when something seems odd. But, we
should! That should cause us to question, to explore, to pray.
So, it is possible that you could read the opening chapters
of the Gospel of Mark and not be surprised at a very surprising thing. Three
times already in chapter one, and many times in the coming chapters, Jesus will
command someone NOT to speak of whom He is. The unclean spirit of verse 25, the
demons in verse 34, and the cleansed leper in verse 44 are all told to be
silent about Jesus. Similar commands will be given to other spirits,
individuals, His disciples and the crowd (Mark 3:12, 5:43, 7:33-36, 8:30, 9:9).
Now, this is odd stuff! Normally, we would think Jesus wanted others to know
who He is. Indeed, He will send out His disciples to share about His Word and
work. Yet, often enough, Mark reports Jesus’ commands to be silent. When we run
across such counterintuitive statements in the Bible, we should pull up, stop,
think and pray.
This “Messianic Secret” is one of the trickier parts of
studying the Gospel of Mark. You can hardly avoid the question, since it
appears over and over again. Why would Jesus at times command others not to
reveal who He is and at other times show Himself clearly to the crowds? Through
the centuries, Christians have pondered this, scholars have attacked the
question, disciples have struggled to understand. A number of satisfying ideas
have been put forward, some of which do a great job of highlighting Christ’s
ministry, mission and salvation.
But, the call today is not to miss this oddity. In your reading of Mark’s Gospel, don’t
quickly pass over those spots where Jesus does something surprising. Yes, the
Bible is full of passages we will not fully understand; but, every time we
explore them more, God draws us closer to Himself.
Join us this Sunday as we are confronted again by the
surprising work of Christ. Read Mark 1:40-45.
1. In verse 40, the leper comes to Jesus on his knees and
“imploring him.” What is the emotional tenor of this situation? How does that
impact Jesus’ actions and the actions of the leper later in the story?
2. When the leper says, “if you will, you can make me
clean,” what is he saying to Jesus? What are some options? For instance, could
the leper be frustrated with Jesus? Confident?
3. In verse 41, Jesus acts. Mark describes him as doing four
different things: What are they, and what do they say about Jesus?
4. Jesus says, “I will.” In English this can mean, “I am
going to in the future” or it could mean, “I desire this and will make it
happen.” Which is closer to what Jesus says here?
5. Why do you think Mark stresses that the leper was
“immediately” healed? Why is this important?
6. Jesus tells the healed leper to show himself to the
priest. In the Old Testament, if/when one was healed from an infectious
disease, you showed your healing to the priest to gain re-admittance into the
community. What is Jesus encouraging the healed man to do here?
7. What clue in verse 45 is given for why Jesus might not
have wanted the leper to share what had happened with everyone? How might that
speak to the “Messianic Secret” in the Gospel according to Mark?
