Mar 02 2025 53 mins
Our lives are caught in the midst of a spiritual battle, whether we realize it or not. Some messages of the arrows are easy to brush off, but others sink so deep within us that they reshape the way we see ourselves and the world. Disappointment can shrink our lives into something small, manageable and numb, but the gospel offers us more. Jesus doesn’t simply heal our wounds; He enters the raw, liminal spaces we lock away, touching not only our pain but also the lies and vows that bind us. The good news is that His love is greater, breaking through our defenses to restore us to the fully alive, fully loved people we were always meant to be.
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Mark 1: 40-45
Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy
40 A man with leprosy[a] came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
41 Jesus was indignant.[b] He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.