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Sunday, January 27, 2008
Compassionate Power
A man that had leprosy came to Jesus. The man bowed on his
knees and begged Jesus, "You have the power to heal me if you
want." Jesus felt sorry for the man. So Jesus touched the man
and said, "I want to heal you. Be healed!" Immediately the
leprosy disappeared, and he was healed.
-- Mark 1:40-42 (ERV)
KEY THOUGHT:
This translation uses the word "sorry," but the better translation is
probably "compassion." In his heart, in his "gut," Jesus feels the
anguish of this man afflicted with leprosy. So before he speaks healing
into the man's life, he does the unthinkable: he touches the leprous
man. By Jewish law, Jesus makes himself unclean by touching the man.
Yet Jesus wants to show the compassion he feels in a way this man would
understand. Jesus spoke the words of healing only after he has
connected to the man's deepest emotional need and bridged the barrier
that enforced this man's isolation. Mark has two messages for us in
this story. First, he wants us to know that Jesus has come and bridged
the distance between us and God and he will let nothing separate us
from his love. Second, he wants us to do the same with others.
TODAY'S PRAYER:
Dear Father in heaven, thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you
for bridging the distance between your holiness and my weakness by
sending Jesus. Use me to help others find their way to Jesus, in whose
name I pray. Amen.
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>> The WJD! web page has related scriptures and the
>> full text of today's key passage. Read it at:
http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/mark/0127-wjd.html
>> For further study of today's passage, use our
>> online Bible study site: SearchGodsWord.org!
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Mark+1:40-42&sr=1&t=erv
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