“And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. And He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away, and He 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, as a testimony to them." But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.” Mark 1:40-45, NASB
Jesus often admonished those who received the benefit of His miracles that they should not say anything to anyone about it. I’ve noticed, though, that many of those people disregarded His request and, instead, told everyone what Jesus had done for them.
The leper discussed in Mark 1 was especially zealous about spreading the news. The KJV says he “blazed abroad” what Jesus had done for him. The effect of his witness was such that people flocked to see Jesus – so much so that Jesus could no longer enter any city. Now that is getting the word out!
There are many accounts in the gospels similar to this. The man named Legion (Mark 5), after being delivered from demon possession, begged Jesus that he might stay with Him. Instead, Jesus told him to return home and tell his people about the mercy Jesus had shown him. The man certainly did that – the Bible says he spread the news in the
Sometimes I’m disappointed with many Christians of today compared to the Christians of Jesus' day. When Jesus touched the lives of the first century saints, it seems they couldn’t wait to tell everyone about what Jesus did for them. Christians today don’t seem interested in telling anyone. Why is that?
I think sometimes we make light of what Jesus has done for us. While it’s true that we might not have been cured of leprosy or delivered from demons, does that mean Jesus hasn’t done a great miracle in our lives? When we accepted Christ, did He not forgive us for a lifetime of sin and give each one of us eternal life? Aren’t we joint heirs with Him (Romans 8:17)?
It is my prayer that every Christian (myself included) would be like the leper in Mark 1. Jesus has done a marvelous thing for us. Let’s tell everyone about the great things that Jesus has done for us so that people might come to Him from everywhere!
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