Please read Mark 1: 40-45 to prepare for Sunday morning worship.
Sermon Focus: “Secrets, Secrets, Secrets”
After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” (Mark 1: 43-44)
- After being healed of leprosy the man is warned by Jesus to tell no one. Why do you think Jesus makes this request?
- And yet Jesus wants the man to show himself to the priests as a testimony to them. What do you think Jesus means by this?
In Biblical times it was believed that any physical ailment or condition was caused by a sinful act by either the individual or someone in his or her family. When Jesus began teaching and healing he challenged this long-standing belief. He even went one step further to welcome those who were healed back into community life. This would threaten the system of belief that would foster an us and them, clean and unclean status that benefitted the powerful.