Mark 1:40-45 ~ stretched out His hand and touched him

Mark 1:40-45

⁴⁰ And a leper ^{[a term for several skin diseases]} came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” ⁴¹ Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” ⁴² And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

⁴³ And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, ⁴⁴ and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” ⁴⁵ But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

Moses. Son of Pharaoh. Shepherd for God's people. Miracle Maker.
The First Plague (Exodus 7:14-24) water turned to blood.

The Second Plague (Exodus 8:1-15) Frogs infestation.

The Third Plague (Exodus 8:16-19) Infestation of swarms of gnats

The Fourth Plague (Exodus 8:20-32) Flies and disease.

The Fifth Plague (Exodus 9:1-7) Disease of Egyptian horses, donkeys, camels, livestock. Children of Israel are untouched in the plagues.

The Sixth Plague (Exodus 9:8-12) Boils on people and animals.

The Seventh Plague (Exodus 9:13-35) Hail destroying the crops, people, animals killed.

The Eighth Plague (Exodus 10:1-20) Locusts complete starvation pattern ahead.

The Ninth Plague (Exodus 10:21-29) Darkness for Egyptians.

The Tenth Plague (Exodus 11:1-10, 12:1-42) Death passes over Children of Israel. Death of firstborn Egyptians.

Miracles of Cloud by Day and Pillar of Fire by night. Parting the Red Sea.

How many people would have approached a leper, much less healed by stretching out a hand and touched? Not even Moses. When Moses met the LORD, he was given a sign to use - to throw down his staff and it would become a snake.

Exodus 4:1-9
¹ Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’” ² The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” ³ And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. ⁴ But the LORD said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— ⁵ “that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” ⁶ Again, the LORD said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. ⁷ Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. ⁸ “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. ⁹ If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”

Moses never did perform the second sign. It must have shaken him up a bit. Even more than meeting the Lord God Almighty.

Hebrews 3:1
Therefore, holy brothers and sister, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, ² who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. ³ For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. ⁴ (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) ⁵ Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, ⁶ but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

When has God so stretched out his hands for us? When He willingly became our atonement. Our Advocate. Each time we speak to Him in prayer.

1 Peter 5:7
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.


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