I am willing

Matthew 8:2-4, Mark 1:40-44, and Luke 5:12-14 all record the account of Jesus healing a man with leprosy. Even though this story is relatively short it reveals very powerful truth about God, and gives us vital insight into the true nature of faith. Here is the account:

“A leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.’ Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, ‘See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’ ”

The first thing that stands out in this story is the fact that this man with leprosy came up to Jesus. By its very nature, leprosy is a vivid illustration of sin and Luke makes it clear that this man not only had leprosy, but that he was “covered with” it. According to the law, lepers were not to have contact with people, but were supposed to stay at a distance and cry “Unclean!” whenever people came by. The fact that this man was willing to approach Jesus in spite of his condition tells us both that he was desperate and that he believed Jesus would not turn him away. In doing so, this leper demonstrated how we are to “draw near” God based on faith in his goodness and mercy and not our own works or worthiness.

The next thing that stands out is that after coming to Jesus this man immediately bowed down before him – as a gesture of worship and submission. This man not only had the faith to approach Jesus, he also recognized him as his Lord, and immediately prostrated himself before him and worshipped him. This too demonstrates a vital principle found elsewhere in scripture – that we are to approach God not only by faith, but through the vehicle of worship. The entire tabernacle was built around this principle, with the altar of incense representing the place of worship, just before entering the holy of holies. (See “The Mystery of Intimacy” article)

But perhaps the most important thing we can learn from this account is found in the verbal exchange between Jesus and this leper. After approaching Jesus and worshipping him the man made this simple statement: “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” The man knew Jesus had the power to heal him, what he didn’t know for sure is if Jesus had the desire to heal him. Jesus answered him by simply saying, “I am willing, be cleansed” and the man was immediately cleansed and we are told that, “the leprosy left him.” The glorious truth is that no disease can stay in a body when God tells it to go!

But there is something more to be seen in this exchange between Jesus and this man. Many Christians over the ages have found themselves in a situation like this leper – where they desperately need a touch from God. Unfortunately, like this leper, many Christians believe that God can heal them, but they do not believe that he will. Someone once wisely said, “Faith is not believing God can, it is knowing he will.” Ultimately it isn’t what we believe God can do that matters, its what we believe he will do. This story makes it clear that Jesus is not only able to heal us he is willing! And Hebrews 13:8 tells us clearly that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

If you or someone you love is in need of the healing touch of Jesus today, take courage and learn a powerful lesson from this story – Jesus us not only able to heal today, he is willing!