Cure of a Leper—Crowning Act of Mark 1
Scattered throughout the opening chapter of Saint Mark’s Gospel, there is ample evidence for a world in the grip of the power of evil manifested as Satan, unclean spirits, diseases, and demons. The healing of the leper crowns that chapter’s forty-five verses. And, so, into the life of a leper, whose condition made him feared, isolated and marginalized, whose life has had little, if any, good news, Jesus encounters him.
The Greek word lepros (Gk. λεπρός) literally means scaly or rough skin and, so, the term could encompass a variety of skin problems. The Purity Codes found in the Book of Leviticus set out strict guidelines for anyone designated as a leper (Lev 14:1-32). Lepers were to live away from society, have no contact with the healthy until their ailment was healed and the cure had been confirmed by a priest. In the Gospel, this leprous outcast breaks the commandment to stay away and approaches Jesus on his knees asking to be healed saying, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” The Greek gonypetōn (Gk. γονυπετῶ ) suggests a more powerful image of the leper throwing himself at Jesus’ feet and doing so in an act of total submission. The leper already knows, unlike the crowd, that Jesus is the ambassador of good news, the one who will restore humanity to wholeness, the one who would want to heal him. All this takes place in the midst of Jesus and His disciples, almost all of whom would have been recoiling from the leper lest they become infected. It is an earth-shattering image depicting the power of good over evil.
The side comment that Jesus was moved with “pity” finds that English word to be a very weak translation of the Greek splagcnistheis (Gk. σπλαγχνισθεὶς). The word splagchnizomai literally means to feel to the depths of one’s internal organs and bowels, which the ancients believed to be the location where feelings of compassion dwelled. Jesus feels an overwhelming physical churning within Himself that almost compels Him to heal the leper. To potential Christian converts from the various pagan religions of the Greco-Roman world, the idea that God or, in this case, Jesus the Son of God, would be so engaged with humanity as to actually feel compassion for a human being, let alone a sick and diseased person, was revolutionary. The ancient gods kept well away from most of the messiness of human life; in fact, their chief attribute in relation to humans was apatheia (Gk. ἀπάθεια ) or apathy understood in terms of emotional non-engagement. There was nothing apathetic about the God of Israel; so, Jesus stretches out His hand and declares “I do will it” and heals the leper.
Jesus’ willingness to heal shows that the reign of evil – all that ostracizes and limits human nature – is crumbling; while not yet fallen, it is falling. Jesus commands the healed leper to go to the priest and make the offering set out by Moses in the Torah. On his way to find the priest, the now-healed leper becomes a proclaimer of the Good News – and the man’s healing becomes the surest, most tangible sign of the dawning Reign of God. In this entirely new era of salvation history, the fullness of time that marked the dawn of the Kingdom, the restoration and release of human beings from diseases of the mind, body and soul and their being refashioned into holiness or the completeness of life intended by God from the creation of the world has finally begun. The goodness of God’s original creation found in the Book of Genesis (Gen 1.27; 2.24) has become real.
The role of the priest is significant. The Lord’s command to go and “show yourself to the priest” demonstrates this leper is a faithful and observant Jew. Moreover, at that time, priests were only found in the Temple, a trek of around 120 miles — quite a distance to travel from the area of Capernaum, where this all took place. The instruction that Jesus gave to the man He healed has significance. In order for that leper to be fully restored to the social and religious life of the people, his healing must be verified by a priest and the appropriate sacrifices made (Lev 14.2ff). The leper’s journey or his way down to Jerusalem in order to be declared clean and offer sacrifice at the Temple prefigures Jesus’ way later on. The journey or way is not geographical but theological; it is the way of discipleship. And the “way” leads to Jerusalem, the Temple and sacrifice.
Excerpted from ncec.catholic.edu.au. “Jesus Cleanses a Leper—Mark 1:40-45″
Nature and dignity 