Upholding the Torah

Today we examine Mark 1: 40-44: And a leper came to him and fell upon his feet and was beseeching him and said to him, "If you desire, you are able to make me clean." And he, Yeshua, had compassion on him and stretched out his hand and said, "I desire, be clean." And at that moment, his leprosy departed from him and he was made clean. And he rebuked him and he went out. And he said to him, "See to it that you tell no man, rather go show yourself to the priests and offer an offering for your purification as Moshe commanded for their testimony." In this passage, we see a definite statement concerning the answer to the question, "Is it God's will to heal?" Yeshua's response to the inquiry is a straight forward, "I will." In law, if a contract provision is clear and unambiguous, it is interpreted according to its plain meaning. To refute that interpretation, it is required to find an equally clear statement for the opposite position. Applying those principles to the issue of healing, if one was going to argue that Yeshua's will might not always be to heal, we would need an equally clear statement that He does not so will. There is no such statement.

In addition, this passage affirms Yeshua's upholding of the Torah. After healing the leper, Yeshua commands him to go to the priest and obey the law of Moses. There was a prescribed method of verifying the removal of leprosy before the person could re-enter the community. Yeshua doesn't create a new method; instead, He affirms the procedure as set forth in the Hebrew Scriptures. Further, Yeshua affirms the offering of sacrifices as commanded in Leviticus. If Yeshua did not remove the offering for healing, then who did? There is much for us to consider here. Yeshua is a Torah observant Jew. He is not a blond haired, blue eyed Caucasian. We need to remember who Yeshua is, if we are going to follow Him.

Today, remember Yeshua's words. It is His will to heal and it is His will to obey the Torah. Ask yourself, who removed the Torah requirements? Then, an equally important question is, "Why were the Torah requirements removed?"