The Struggle is Real: Mark 1:43-45
Obedience is hard work. Obedience to things that go against what we desire to do is more difficult. Obedience to something we do not understand can be downright challenging. Remember, though, God has not called us to understand everything. Still, He calls us into obedience.
Today we explore the second half of the leper story. After Jesus heals the leper, He commands him to say nothing to anyone except the priest. Jesus wants the leper to be obedient to the Hebrew legal system. Jesus also wants the man to keep quiet.
Of course, the leper talks. He gossips. He cannot contain his need to proclaim his new status as clean. The result of the leper telling everyone what happened is such an increase to Jesus’ fame He can no longer openly teach in the towns. The man’s inability to obey directly impairs Jesus’ ability to teach others about God.
Stories like these put me in awe of the mind of God. Knowing the leper will disobey, Jesus healed him anyway. Jesus desired the man feel the compassion of God so much that He accepts the future consequences of the man’s inability to keep his mouth shut. God’s love for us is greater than His need to have His plans happen as designed.
That’s a challenging statement right there. Is my love for my fellow man greater than my desire to accomplish my own plans? Some days yes, but many days no. Many days the frustration that comes with having to compromise my plans because I dwell among other people is real.
It is good that God is forgiving. It is good that God is willing to work with us – like He does here with the leper – even when He knows we may well get in His way. Once more we have reason to celebrate the greatness of God. He desires community with us so much that He’s willing to alter His big plan so that we can muck around in His creation. Under those terms, obedience to God shouldn’t really be that hard. He is so gracious and loving that I should readily desire to obey Him.
That is, of course, until I wake up tomorrow and go back to being a human and start to focus on myself and my own life and less on God. Life will get complicated because I’ll be around other people and I’ll need to start compromising my plans but not want to. Then once more I’ll discover that for a flawed human being like me, the struggle between flesh and spirit is real. Obedience is hard work.
