Moved With Compassion

 "Jesus was indignant" NIV.  "And Jesus, moved with compassion (KJV), stretched out His hand (ESV) and touched him, and said to him, "I will' be clean"  (ESV).  Mark 1:41 NIV, KJV, ESV.

The main motivating force here appears to be Jesus' indignation and His compassion.  He had lookd at the desperate leper, imploring and kneeling, asking for himself to be made clean.  Secondly, Jesus' willingness to do just that.  Thirdly, His capability and abilty to heal and make another clean.  This is what Jesus does.

Not everyone with ability and capability is willing to be motivated towards certain action. Jesus' pity and compassion, and no doubt love for all, gave that willingness 'to do something'.  In this case, to cleanse the leper.

Incidently, no one was supposed to touch a leper.  What's more, lepers were supposed to keep their distance from others and even broadcast that they were lepers and unclean if someone tried to approach them.  We can 'get this' because most of us went through the Covid-19 years having to do very similarly (see Leviticus 13 and 14).

They were likely miserable with their condition and because of the distance from others they had to maintain, would be lonely.  They wouldn't have felt another's touch in years.  Not to mention the additional fact that even if someone did touch them, they wouldn't be able to feel the touch anyway.

In light of this, it is so significant that Jesus reached out AND TOUCHED the man in order to heal him and make him clean.  I believe that the faith the leper man had in Jesus' being able to heal him was another huge motivating and contributing force in Jesus' willingness to heal.

This man's faith, combined with Jesus' compassion, brought healing.  If the man had never asked, he may not have received either.  So there are some combining factors, all in all.  Yet the verse,

"Ask, and it will be given you ..." (Matthew 7:7 & 8 ESV)

gives a word of caution to not treat Jesus as a genie or charm. The asking is not for getting materially or even necessarily physically.  Of greater import is to learn dependance on Jesus and to see and know His compassion.

When we ask, seek and knock, in faith, the Lord knows we mean business.  There may not always be the miracle cure we expect, but there will be something to receive, find, and that will be opened.  Jesus is our compassionate friend and Savior.  We can trust Him to ...

" ... stretch out His hand ..."

and give us what's needed in His perfect timing and according to His perfect purposes for our lives.

This is the emphasis I actually want to pinpoint here.  It is the fact of Jesus' compassion, which moved Him to "stretch out His hand."  It touches my heart and I feel gratitude towards Jesus.  It reminds me, that each of us can in faith, implore Him, even on our knees,  for what we so desparately need.  Then wait and see what He'll do.

Jesus, Friend unfailing, how dear you are to us.  What can we even say?  Your love never fails and neither does Your compassion.  Your mercies are new every morning.  We cannot say thank You enough.  But in gratitude from the inner sanctum core of our hearts we give You as heartfelt thanks as possible that You do reach out and touch us with Your everlasting hand.  Thank You, Jesus.  Your name is above all names.

                                                   ~  ERC  march 2026  ~

Basedon on Mark 1:41 KJV/ESV/NIV.

Sing, Compassion, along with Stuart Townend and Keith and Kristyn Getty.