Mark 1:40-45

Mark 1:40-45

A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,

“If you wish, you can make me clean.”

Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,

touched the leper, and said to him,

“I do will it. Be made clean.”

The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.

Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.

Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,

but go, show yourself to the priest

and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;

that will be proof for them.”

The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.

He spread the report abroad

so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.

He remained outside in deserted places,

and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you sent your Son to heal us and your Spirit to sanctify us. I will faithfully listen to your Son’s word and allow your Spirit to guide me.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Jesus in the Desert: The Gospel of Mark gives the appearance of an unpolished collection of source material about the life of Jesus, based on the preaching of Simon Peter in Rome. This collection is unpolished, but it has a wonderfully deep and hidden structure and is organized into various sections with a common word or theme. Scholars have identified a “conflict section” in Mark 2:1-3:35, a parable section about the Kingdom of God in Mark 4:1-34, an authority section in Mark 4:35-6:33, a “bread section” in Mark 6:34-8:21, and a journey to Jerusalem section in Mark 8:22-10:52. If we were to give a title to the section in the first chapter, it is notable that it mentions the desert six times. And so, it could be called the desert or wilderness section. Mark begins his Gospel with the prophecy of Isaiah about a voice crying in the desert and John bringing the people into the desert. The first chapter ends with Jesus going off to pray in the desert and being forced to remain “outside in deserted places.” Despite his dwelling in the desert, the people continued to seek out Jesus. The significance of the desert harkens back to the 40-year exodus dwelling of Israel in the wilderness. It also evokes Israel’s experience of living in exile. The exodus and exile end with entering and resting in the Promised Land. It is in the desert that we find our Incarnate Lord. As the Good Shepherd, he will lead us through the valley of the shadow of death and bring us to green pastures, restore our souls, anoint us, and set a table before us. “Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6).

2. Leprosy and the Desert: Today’s Gospel opens with a leper finding Jesus and kneeling before him. Lepers were supposed to stay away from the community and live on the outskirts of society. It was a practical way of protecting the community from disease. They lived in deserted places and lived a harsh life until they died from the disease. “Leviticus 13:45-46 commands lepers to keep their garments torn and heads bare, to live outside the camp, and to cry out, ‘unclean, unclean’ should they encounter anyone. Levitical law thus excluded lepers from Temple and synagogue rites and, moreover, effectively cut them off from social contact” (Huizenga, Loosing the Lion, 105). We can imagine the leper calling out, “unclean, unclean” as he approached Jesus. And instead of Jesus fleeing, Jesus remains and welcomes him. The leper’s cry changes from “unclean” to “You can make me clean.” This is a symbol of the Sacrament of Confession. We enter the confessional crying, “unclean, unclean.” And after our confession, we beg for the healing touch of Jesus, who says: “Be made clean!”

3. Jesus Remains in Deserted Places: The end of today’s Gospel has a certain irony to it. Jesus commands the cleansed leper to go first to the priests, who can examine him and restore him to the community. Instead, the leper begins to do the opposite of what Jesus commanded him and begins to publicize all that Jesus had done for him. Because of this, Jesus was unable to enter the towns of Galilee openly. The leper dwelt in deserted places and can now freely go about in the town. Jesus, who travelled freely from town to town, now has to remain outside in deserted places. On the one hand, this symbolizes the redemption and how Jesus took upon himself the leprosy of our sins. On the other hand, this means that we need to imitate Jesus and search for him “in deserted places.” The desert is a powerful symbol of the beginning stages of the spiritual life. “To become a saint, you must learn to enter into, survive, and then abide in the spiritual desert. … Heading into the heart of a dry, arid, and sandy emptiness does not seem like a likely place to start the journey of becoming a saint. But we follow Jesus, who himself began his public ministry by going into the desert” (Mitchell, Sanctity Simplified, 74).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to flee the things of this passing world and enter into the freedom and silence of the desert, where you dwell. Cleanse me from my sin and guide me along the path to true holiness.

Living the Word of God: Consider reading M. T. Mitchell’s Sanctity Simplified: A Guide for Ordinary Souls (2025) at the beginning of this new year. How can I purge my life from sin (in the desert with Jesus)? How can I be enlightened (by ascending the mountain with Jesus)? How can I be united with God more closely (by entering the cloud with Jesus)?