It's Up to You
Google Images The sermon is over. Jesus and his followers come down from the mountain only to be greeted by a leper. The Scriptures say that the man had the nerve to come right up to Jesus and kneel in front of him (Matthew 5:2). That would have parted the crowds like nothing else could! No one wanted to be around a leper and by law that man was not to approach healthy people without giving fair warning by crying out “unclean, unclean.” What this poor soul then said to Jesus sticks in my mind: “ Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean ” (8:2b). No demands, no expectations, only an expression of faith and a submission to the will of the Great Healer. “ Lord ” — I acknowledge you as Master. “ if you are willing ” — I don’t know your will, but I bow to it whatever it is. It’s up to you. “ you can make me clean ” — I know you have the power to do this. I always get the feeling that when I pray “your will be done,” I am simply expressing a lack of faith, that...