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“And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he 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, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.” Mark 1:40-45
What a wretched being a leper is, afflicted with a horrid disease, which no one can cure, and shut out of society, as too loathsome for the eyes of his fellow-men—sad but true picture of man's moral condition. Fallen—utterly fallen. The very heart filled with the loathsome disease of sin. His whole nature corrupt—incurable. This little paper may be put into the hands of one who feels the wretchedness of sin. You have sinned. The leprosy has broken out; are you trying to hide it? God knows it, and you are wretched—Oh, how wretched! What a burden on your heart! What is that you were saying? “I wish I had never been born!” Why? Oh, I see; you have tried many physicians, but found no cure. The leprosy is still there, and it spreads. You have tried temperance, morality, and religion. You have tried to amend, and tried hard, but all in vain—your case is too bad for these remedies. God knows your deep sorrow—your despairing groans.
Who are those two persons in this story? A loathsome leper and the Son of God. Well now, look; the leper speaks to Jesus, just as he is. He does not ask what he must do to cleanse himself. He came to Him, “beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying unto Him, If Thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” Does Jesus say, Go and get better first? No! See! Jesus is moved with compassion; and though no other person would touch that wretched leper, Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, and said, “I will, be thou clean.” What a wondrous change! That man, whom no one could cure, was in a moment healed: As soon as Jesus had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, AND HE WAS CLEANSED.
Ah! I see your mistake. You have not yet fully seen the love of God to the ungodly in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, trembling sinner, look in the face of Jesus! See Him moved with compassion at the sight of your leprous wretchedness. Are you thus brought to Him just as you are? It was God who sent Him from heaven, that your leprosy might be cleansed with His very life's blood: and now, raised from the dead, He speaks to you just as you are, "I will, be thou clean.”
My fellow-leper, there never was a poor, wretched sinner thus brought and given to Jesus just as he was, but that moment he heard the voice of God in the words of Jesus, and those blessed words were true of him, “and he was cleansed.”
Would you rob Christ of His glory? Would you say that you must get better before Christ can heal you? You would not treat an earthly physician in such a manner. Wilt you then say of the Great Physician that He receives none, and cleanses none, but those who are getting better? The blessed Jesus rejected none. You may be too great a Pharisee for Him, but you cannot be too great a sinner.
Oh, reader, if now your eyes are opened to see Jesus receiving you just as you are, and see yourself renouncing all pretensions to righteousness in yourself, believing on Jesus, you, even you, are cleansed, and cleansed forever!
“For, by one offering, He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.” Hebrews 10:24
C. Stanley
How bright there above
Is the mercy of God!—
And void of all guilt,
And clear of all sin,
Is my conscience and heart,
Through my Savior's blood—
“Not a cloud above,—not a spot within.”
Christ died! Then I am clean—
“Not a spot within.”
God's mercy and love—
“Not a cloud above.”
‘Tis the Spirit, through faith
Thus triumphs o'er sin—
“Not a cloud above,—not a spot within.”
This article is the second in Charles Stanley’s “Bread Cast Upon the Waters” series. It has been lightly edited for modern readers.
Charles Stanley, of Sheffield England, was a very effective evangelist during the latter half of the nineteenth century. He was also the author and publisher of many gospel tracts, booklets, and books which God greatly used. You may find many of them at www.BibleTruthPublishers.com.
This brochure is one of a series of large print gospel brochures. Enquiries welcome.