What Jesus Did! 'Compassionate Power' — Mark 1:40-42

Saturday, January 27, 2024

A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. "If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean," he said.

Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing," he said. "Be healed!" Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.

— Mark 1:40-42 NLT

Key Thought

Jesus was "moved with compassion." Not only did he feel compassionately toward the man with leprosy, but he also was moved to act on his compassion. In his heart, in his "gut," Jesus felt the anguish of this man afflicted with leprosy. So before he spoke healing into the man's life, he did the unthinkable: He touched the leprous man. By Jewish law, Jesus made himself unclean by touching the man. Yet Jesus wanted to show the compassion he felt in a way this man would understand. Jesus spoke the words of healing only after he connected to the man's deepest emotional need and bridged the barrier that enforced this man's isolation. Mark has three messages for us in this story. He wants us to know that
  1. Jesus came and bridged the distance between us and God,
  2. Jesus will let nothing separate us from his love, and
  3. since Jesus is our role model, we should do the same with others.

Today's Prayer

Dear Father in heaven, thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you for bridging the distance between your holiness and my weakness by sending Jesus. Use me to help others find their way to Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

27 Related Resources by Heartlight

Finding Jesus' Heart for Ministry: Look
Article by Phil Ware
Take a look at what Jesus did and feel the call to look and see people as Jesus did! Phil Ware leads us deep into the heart of Jesus for ministry as he looks at Jesus' actions and emotions in Mark 1:35-45, today focusing on how Jesus looked at the situation and into the heart of man with leprosy.
Look
Article by Phil Ware
Take a look at what Jesus did and feel the call to do it, too! Phil Ware begins an 8-part series on discipleship and following Jesus in caring for the hurt people of the world.
Life Among the Outcasts
Article by Rubel Shelly
Where does your church meet? Rubel Shelly talks about a book he read recently, "Sanctuary of Outcasts", and challenges us to make the church such a place.
The Task at Hand
Article by Rubel Shelly
How can we begin to help in a world so full of hurt? We can't help everybody, or even most bodies, but we can help the person nearest us.
See All 27 Related Resources about Mark 1:40-42

Illustration

Illustration of Mark 1:40-42 NLT — "Be healed!"

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Saturday, January 27, 2024

Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'My Need' (Ro. 5:6-11)
"Dear Father, gracious God, Thank you, dear Father, that while we were helpless, Christ our Savior died for the ungodly. You showed your love for us....."
Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Evening Thought: Judges 15:18
"Samson was thirsty and ready to die. The difficulty was totally different from any which the hero had met before. Merely to get thirst assuaged is..."
Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'The Holy Spirit Gave the Ability!' (Acts 2:3-6)
"Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of [the believers]. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit..."
Today's Verse
A daily devotional featuring a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
Galatians 6:7-8
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the..."

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More What Jesus Did!