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Jesus Is Willing (February 16, 2023)

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23).

During His earthly ministry, Jesus went about doing good deeds…healing the diseased, casting out demons, and raising the dead. Scripture says, for example, that after delivering His famous Sermon on the Mount, Christ, followed by great multitudes, came down from the mountain and was confronted by a leper who worshipped Him, pleading “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus responded by reaching out and touching this social outcast saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” (Matthew 8:1-3) This biblical passage shows the deity of the incarnate Christ in action in human history and speaks to us of Jesus’ continuing willingness to heal every individual of the deadly virus of sin that has infected the whole of mankind. Jesus was willing to offer mercy to this unfortunate leper because of his faith, and the unmerited favor of His grace is available to all who trust the LORD today!

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Leprosy, a chronic infectious skin disease, is often viewed as a symbol of the destructive power of sin that has corrupted humanity and doomed us all to death. In ancient Israel, those with leprosy were so despised that they were required to live outside their community, cut off from their own people. In the same way, sin has separated all of us from a righteous God who must ultimately judge and punish our innate human rebelliousness. But our gracious heavenly Father loves us to the extreme that He gave His only Son to bear the burden of our sins on the cross so that we can be freed from bondage to spiritual death and receive His undeserved gift of everlasting life. There is nothing we can do to earn such divine favor; we receive God’s mercy and forgiveness as a gift exclusively by faith in Christ. As He responded to the leper, Jesus is more than willing to pardon and cleanse every lost sinner who invokes His saving name believing!

 “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

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