What is Essential and What is Trivia?

We have come to the last teaching moment, in the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel. A chapter packed full of information about Jesus.  This last text brings us  another one of Jesus’ act-of-articulation.  A time to reveal another reason for the disciples to understand who Jesus truly is.  

The person who came to Jesus was a leper.  A man who had dry scaly skin thought to be extremely contagious.  So dangerous that anyone with this condition were defined as “unclean.”   And was band from the community. Sent into the wilderness to live with all the scary creatures. 

The thing, today’s ordinary reader, would not know; is that the only way for someone to be healed of this awful condition was though divine intervention — divine power.  The leper must have known that Jesus was God.  It says he came and “kneeled” before Jesus.

A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, "If you choose, you can make me clean."

You also wouldn’t know that to “touch” a leper would render you “unclean” as well.  And yet!

Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him,..

Point 1.  Jesus touched him!

Point 2.  Jesus healed him!  Made him clean!

Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

When people saw Jesus, both “touch” him; and then heal the un-heal-able.  They must have gotten some key clue that Jesus was not just an ordinary man.

Now this is also one of my, simplistic, teaching moments! 

First it is about touch.  How important is touch to the human body?   It is crucial for all humans — and animals by the way — to be touched.  

I also think Jesus knew that he would not get leprosy by touching that poor guy.  

This is the kind of ancient Hebrew traditions that was true in the Old Testament.  But today it is understood in a more informed way.  Today leprosy would be considered just an ordinary skin condition.  Something a doctor could help you with.  

This kind of example helps us to understand that what is written on the pages of the Bible, need not be taken so absolutely crucial to our spiritual health and welfare.  So when we are tempted to voice the popular phrase: “Well it says in the Bible…”  We might want to check a bit further into the context of the passage.  And the original language use-age!  

One of the things Jesus did extremely well was to keep straight what was essential, and what was trivial.

I will be discussing, throughout these next few months, way in which Jesus adjusted the misuse and misunderstandings of the ancient sayings, rules, rituals and traditions; that are no longer of any great significances in scheme of things. 

Many of our Gramma's believed in all of the old traditions, rituals and doctrine.  

This Gramma has come to believe that the only thing we need to be concerned about is our faith in Jesus The Christ/God.  Who clearly taught us to live with love and mercy, in our hearts, for each other.

So, in the next few months, I will be discussing some major teachings of Jesus concerning those old traditions and beliefs. 

I hope you will enter into the conversation as we move through each day.

40 A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, "If you choose, you can make me clean." 41 Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, "I do choose. Be made clean!" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, 44 saying to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." 45 But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter. (Mark 1)