Today our lesson comes from the first chapter of the book of Mark, where Jesus heals a leper. We're going to examine the correlation between the incurable corruption in the leper's body with the incurable corruption in us as a result of sin. It made me think about how carelessly I often think about sin in general. I don't see or smell sin like the leper's fetid flesh; so I don't appreciate how odious it is in the sight of Holy God. Perhaps if like "The Picture of Dorian Gray," our appearance bore each mark of sin as a visible wound, or deformity, we'd be more like that desperate leper, risking every assault and scandal to fall at the feet of the Savior for cleansing. In my last post, I listed some of the hard to believe truths of the Christian faith. I'm not sure, but I think the hardest truth of all may be the knowledge that each of us is an object of abject filth; corrupt, degraded and beyond all hope. Yet God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. It's for that reason, I think I can understand a little of how the leper must have felt that day. In a moment, his despair was transformed into radiant, joyful hope. He couldn't keep silent. His amazed heart overflowed with praises and thanksgiving for the Savior who made him whole. In the words of Charles Wesley:
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amen Charles Wesley :-)
ReplyDeleteGod bless you and have a great weekend :-)
~Ron
Dorian Gray ~ the memory of reading that makes me shudder.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was teaching in a s/m/a/l/l Christian school years ago, I would get to hear our pastor teach my class (1st-3rd) for Bible. I haven't forgotten his definition of "abomination" -- "a rotten, stinking skunk smell in God's nose." Can you tell he was a father of young children? =)
That is a great hymn! Praying your class goes well!
ReplyDeleteMelanie, that's such a good analogy - the skunk.
ReplyDeleteCathy - good point! (Was it at church Sunday, or another blog I read...) Someone was recently pointing out that skunks don't think skunks stink, just like we don't (like to) think our sin is so very terrible. But we need to view our sin as God does - putrid and rotten, or a stinky skunk!
Julie