B Epiphany 6 - Mark 1:40-45 & 2 Kings 5:1-14 "The Leprosy of Sin"

Key Text: Mark 1:40-45

40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. 43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Sermon

A leper comes stumbling into Jesus’ presence, desperately begging to be healed. This person, who bears all the marks of sin, death, and unholiness, approaches the One who is holy. This nameless man is unhindered; the leprosy that would usually keep him in solitude, is what brings him into the presence of God — Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the Holy One of God. This is extraordinary that God would allow such a thing to happen.

Leprosy is a highly contagious skin disease and was probably the name used for a number of skin ailments in the days Jesus walked on earth. To equate it to a disease today one might compare it to the AIDS virus of the 80’s and 90’s, or the Bird Flue virus ravaging the world in these days. The thought of coming into contact with diseases like these, strikes fear into the hearts of most people, because they seem to be contagious without a cure, leaving a clear path to death.

Understandably, to come into the presence of a leper, an AIDS carrier, or someone incubating the bird flue virus, is to be avoided at all costs. The chance of infection, illness, and death is high. So for the leper to come into Jesus’ presence is completely remarkable. Jesus was a Jewish man on the move; he rubbed shoulders with many people. Surely his contact with the one white with leprosy would make him unclean and exclude him from public life.

However, as extraordinary as this might seem—for Jesus not to become infected with leprosy too—this is not the truly astonishing thing. In this event the leper doesn’t just come into the presence of a man, he comes into the presence of God.

Before Jesus came as both son of man and as God the Son, a leper in any Jew’s presence would render them unclean; something to be totally avoided. And if someone so unclean came into the presence of God, death would be instantaneous as they would have been consumed by God’s holiness. But it doesn’t happen when the leper meets Jesus, even after he is revealed as the Son of God! This is amazing; but why?

To answer this question, we do well to look at the events surrounding the Jordan River in the Gospel of Mark and in the Old Testament reading for today.

In 2 Kings 5(:1-14) Naaman the commander of the king of Aram’s army had leprosy. No doubt this contagious disease threatened his position as a face to face commander over so many men. This was not only serious for Naaman but also for the king of Aram who looked to Naaman to lead his men.

Israel and the Arameans—enemies of each other—were in a tense time peace. Border skirmishes were breaking out, threatening peace deals made in earlier times. The air is tense with trouble. However, the Aramean king, desperate to have his man healed, trusts the word of an Israelii servant girl and sends Naaman to the king of Israel to be healed by Elisha. Upon Naaman’s arrival and request, the Israelite king becomes very worried. He knows that leprosy is bad, it leads to death, and he has no power over death. His conclusion is logical, “See how he [the king of Aram] is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” Naaman is not an Israelite, he’s white with deadly contagious leprosy; he’s unclean and incurable. Surely there is trouble brewing.

But Elisha hears of the Israelite king’s lack of faith, and tells the king to send Naaman to him, the prophet of God. Naaman arrives at Elisha’s place. But Elisha just sends a message to go wash in the Jordan River seven times. Now Naaman becomes angry. He knows, as the king of Israel knows, this is no simple ailment healed by having a bath in a dirty old river. This situation really needs a great deed, and yet, this so called man of God doesn’t even come out to see how bad the leprosy is! But convinced by his men, Naaman is heal after he goes and dips himself in the Jordan River seven times as instructed by Elisha, the prophet of God.

Hundreds of years later Jesus too is washed in the Jordan by John the Baptist. Jesus was baptised, but for what purpose? Why should God come to a dirty old river in time and place and be baptised? He is the Holy One of God! We know that baptism makes us holy, and cleanses us, from the leprosy of sin, but Jesus was without sin. So why should the Son of God be baptised?

Unlike Naaman, Jesus was clean and holy. He was an Israelite, in fact the only Israelite, the only person, to be without sin. But notice the direction Jesus was going. He came from God and was baptised by John and then he went out into the wilderness. God the Son came from the heavenly land of milk and honey, was born as Jesus son of Joseph and Mary, was baptised and declared by God to be his Son, and then he was led by the Holy Spirit out into trouble. He was lead out into the wilderness where the devil tempted him.

At Jesus’ coming and revelation as God, what was normal was now turned on its head. Ever since Jesus’ baptism the actions of baptism still remain the same; water is used, the word of God still the effective cleaning agent. But the One who baptises and cleanses, takes all illness on himself. And even greater, takes the cause of all sickness and death on himself. Jesus was baptised into his ministry, and that ministry was to bear the sins of all people on the cross, even though he was completely innocent. He came wearing the white robes of righteousness and put on humanity’s deadly robes of sin; he came clean and holy and put on our leprosy of sin.

It wasn’t so much the Jordan River that was important. Yes! It was a symbolical place for this to happen. But now the One who was baptised, baptises with the Holy Spirit, so that all might be baptised into him. Both John the Baptist and Elisha were messengers of God, but Jesus is the message – he is the Word of God. He was baptised into death so that we might be baptised into life, we now wear Christ’s robe of righteousness covering over the leprosy of our sin.

You’d expect that the Son of God would make a big entrance into his creation! But no, it was lowly in a manger. And on announcement that he is the Son of God, you’d think that things would have gotten better; but they were a death sentence for this innocent man from Nazareth; the Son of God.

This is good news for us. We like the leper are engrained with a sinful nature. Just as the leper had no access to God because he was unclean, our sin once upon a time didn’t allow us into God’s presence either. But amazingly God sent his Son to take the leprosy of your sin on himself. Like the leper who came out of hiding, healed by Jesus, and then was given access to the Father’s presence in the temple, we can come with confidence into the Father’s presence too.

Jesus came from God, he is God, the Holy One of God. He came and was baptised into death so that you might be baptised into life. We have been called out of the darkness of sin, out of the wilderness of sin, into the light of God. Jesus put on your leprosy and carried it to the cross; he carried it on the lonely track to the cross. A track you and I should have walked.

He died for your sin, but now he has been raised to life. So put on the robes of Jesus; hear his word; trust his forgiveness; he is willing to make you clean. Sometimes being a Christian might seem lonely but he is walking with you. God promises, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Heb 13:5; Deut 31:6) Jesus promises, “the Father will send, the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, in my name, and he will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:26-27) And through baptism and his word, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus calls us to see that, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt 28:20b)

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; God is with is, we have been healed; we will be healed! “The time has come; the kingdom of God is near! Repent and believe the good news! I am with you always, to the very end of the age, Amen”.