Mark 1:43-45

Passage

After the man was healed, Jesus spoke sternly to him.  He sent him away with an order to not say anything to anyone except to the temple priests.  There he was to show himself as proof of his cleanliness according to the Law.  Instead, the man who was healed went out and talked openly about it.  Soon Jesus could not enter into a town because His popularity was so great.  Jesus had to restrain Himself to the deserted places – and people were still coming out to see Him!

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

We get our first look at a disobedient person.  The man started so well.  Yesterday I praised him for his humbleness.  But today we see that the humbleness was merely a ploy.  The man wasn’t interested in obedience.  He disobeys Jesus’ order and for all we know he disobeys Jesus and doesn’t go to the priests as proscribed by the Law.  The man just wanted to be healed.  He wasn’t looking to change his life or follow Jesus.  He simply wanted to get his problem fixed and then take advantage of the 15 minutes of fame that such a healing would afford.

What can this whole passage teach us about the motivations of people and why we need to be careful?  What else does it teach us since clearly Jesus knew what would happen but He healed the man anyway?

Second Thought:

Now we see one of the first clear problems with disobedience.  The man goes out and talks freely about Jesus – which originally sounds like a good thing because we live in an age where Jesus has told us to go and talk freely about Him.  In the day of this story, however, this is a horrible act of disobedience to Jesus’ direct words.  Because of the man’s disobedience, Jesus’ popularity rises sooner than Jesus intended.  He couldn’t go into the towns anymore.  The effect of this man’s disobedience is that Jesus can’t go into populated areas anymore.  Think of all the people that didn’t get to see Jesus in person because this man thought more of himself than God’s work.

What can you learn from this passage about doing God’s work and discerning what God’s work actually is?  How does this passage show us that just because an act sounds like a good thing (talking about Jesus) it may not be a good thing?  How can you find help discerning what is God’s will and what just sounds like a good thing?

Third Thought:

Jesus goes out into the desolate places.  His disciples follow Him.  People still come to Him.  But this is not likely how Jesus desired to go about God’s work. If it was, then Jesus wouldn’t have told the man to stay quiet.  Instead, it is likely that God’s plan has to change to accommodate the influence of human sinfulness.  God’s plan is still accomplished, of course.  But it is done in a way that is not God’s original plan.

What can you learn today about the fact that God’s plan changes because of human sinfulness?  What does it say to you that God’s plan can still be accomplished in spite of human sinfulness?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 2:1-2