The Year of our Lord, Jesus Christ
Mark 1:44
And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
Today most folks would have no problem obeying this command of Jesus. See thou say nothing to any man… But this man was healed of leprosy. That disease was a death sentence in his day. How could He stay quiet about such a miracle? He couldn’t. For the very next verse states: Buthe went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city… This man could not contain the joy that filled him to overflowing.
This is exactly that which a soulwinner needs. A joy over being saved to the point that it fills and overflows. When that joy of salvation overflows a person, it will spill onto others. Imagine a cup of coffee on a saucer. The coffee represents salvation, or the grace of God. The cup represents the redeemed, the saved. The saucer represents others. Once the coffee fills the cup there comes a point where it overflows the cup, meaning the coffee spills onto the saucer. The saucer comes into contact with the grace of God. Now, a saucer, a plate, will not receive the coffee like the cup does. It must accept it into itself. Now, no plate can do this, but individuals can.
This leper was told by the Saviour to go to the priest so they may offer the appropriate offerings for such a cleansing. Probably never in their entire ministry had the priests faced this specific issue. The Lord wanted the priests to know that something special was happening. It was His testimony unto them that He was the Messiah.
The leper knew he was cleansed; it caused him to tell everybody. Likewise, may those who have been cleansed from the eternal punishment of sin (pictured by leprosy) be so filled with joy that we let others know.
Until next time,
William T. Howe, Ph.D.
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