Mark 1:40-42

V. 40. And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying unto Him, If thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. V. 41. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. V.42. And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

It was also on this trip that a leper came to Him. Whether this leper is the same one of whom Matthew speaks, chapter 8, 2, is immaterial. (Editor's note: it seems to be the same. Mark's version seems to be in chronological order.)

Note the urgency of his behavior: He comes, he begs and pleads, he bows down on his knees before Jesus, and he puts his desire in words.

His prayer is a model: If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. Here is humility and submission; he leaves all in the hands of Jesus; the Master must know best what is expedient and what is wholesome.

Here is also the trust of faith; the man knows, he has the firm conviction that Christ has the power to heal him. To know that Christ is the great Healer for all weaknesses and maladies of body and soul, to put one's trust in Him absolutely for help, but, in the case of bodily infirmities, to leave the time, the means, and the method in His hands, that is the essence of confidence in the Lord.

The prayer and the entire bearing of the man impressed Jesus very deeply. Having compassion, He extended His hand, He touched him and said: I will; become clean. That almighty word wrought the miracle, it drove away the sickness that was such a severe burden upon the poor man. Compare Heb. 2, 17; 4, 15; Acts 4, 30. There was no interval of doubt and uncertainty, the healing was complete at once.