“And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him” (Mark 1:41).
“Moved with compassion,” Jesus touched the leper. This may have been the first time in years that someone touched this man. No one wanted to touch him. He wasn’t even supposed to come near people.
In Luke 17:12, Jesus came to a place where 10 lepers cried unto Him from afar. Why didn’t these ten lepers walk over to Jesus? Because it was illegal. If a leper came within one hundred paces of a healthy human being, he had to get out of the way and call out, “Unclean! Unclean!”
So these ten lepers, knowing they couldn’t legally come within one hundred paces of Jesus, cried to Him from some distance away. Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priest, and they were healed as they went (v 14).
Yet this one leper came close to Jesus. Though he could have been stoned for being there, he had the tenacity of someone who wanted healing so badly that he was willing to take a risk for it.
The leper fell down before Jesus and said, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.” Jesus immediately settled that question. Moved with compassion, He put forth His hand and touched the leper, saying, “I will, be thou clean.”
You see, God’s ability shows His power, but His willingness shows His compassion. In the Word, God’s compassion is magnified above His power. The Bible says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8), but it never says, “God is power.”
So trust in your heavenly Father’s love for you. As you come to Him in faith, His compassion will flow freely to you to heal you and make you whole.
God’s love and compassion reach out to me and heal me of every sickness and disease. He is not only able, but willing to make me whole. I am healed and whole!
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
For over 40 years, Pastors Mark and Janet Brazee have traveled throughout the world sharing the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Together they've shared the powerful truths of faith and healing in more than 50 nations.
Today Mark and Janet pastor World Outreach Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they base their ongoing outreach to the world. The Brazees still travel as the Lord leads, and they are raising up a congregation who share their passion to reach Tulsa and the world.